Kalos: The New Adventure
by phoenixfire1995
Summary: After completing his journey in Unova, Nero Hishiro packs up his bags and takes the next flight out to the Kalos Region to challenge the Kalos League. While there, he is introduced to new friends, new rivals, new Pokémon, and a new evil that threatens the entire world. Rated M for Violence, Language, and some Sexual Themes. Please R&R. Sequel. Read the Unova Saga first! Part 1 of 4
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling of my two-story, three bedroom home in Nuvema Town of the Unova Region. Despite it being nearly one o'clock in the morning, I wasn't the least bit tired no matter how much I had wanted to be. I rolled over onto my right side and stared at the various items that lay on my nightstand.

Among these items was an alarm clock in the shape of a Loudred.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Loudred, the Big Voice Pokémon. It shouts loudly by inhaling air, and then using its well-developed stomach muscles to exhale."**_

_Loudred is a blue boxy-shaped bipedal Pokémon. It has a huge mouth with yellow lips and peg-like teeth on each corner. When its mouth is open, its large tongue and throat are visible. When the mouth is closed, its top teeth may or may not show. It has a stubby nose above its prominent mouth. It has two circular ears on the ends of short stalks. The ear insides ringed with black and purple, and the back of the ears ringed with black. It has arms with three fingers and short legs with two peg-like toes. There is a yellow circle on each foot's underside. Its back has a yellow pattern that resembles sound waves._

_Loudred has a powerful voice that can blast wooden houses into splinters and knock over trucks. Its round ears are used as loudspeakers and it becomes temporarily deaf after it stops shouting. It stomps its feet on the ground to build up power. It lives in caves._

Along with the Loudred-shaped alarm clock was a framed case of eight Badges. Each one I had earned from a separate Gym Leader across the Unova Region by beating him or her in a Gym battle. Upon earning all eight Gym Badges, I was permitted to enter the Unova League where I had to battle other Trainers, including some friends I had made along the way in my journey.

On either side of my Badges were two framed pictures. One of them had three individuals and me in it, standing side-by-side, and smiling at my mother, who was taking the picture. To my left with her arm around both a raven-haired, bespectacled boy and me, was my childhood friend Bianca Belle.

Bianca was a bubbly young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, big, soulful green eyes, and an incredible smile. She was a great friend, but several months into our journey, she was killed.

The raven-haired, bespectacled boy was my other childhood friend Cheren Black. He faced me in the final round of the Unova League, where with the help of my faithful Charizard, I defeated him and was able to move on to challenging the Unova Elite Four.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Charizard, the Flame Pokémon. When expelling a blast of superhot fire, the red flame at the tip of its tail burns more intensely."**_

_Charizard is draconic, bipedal Pokémon. It is primarily orange in coloration with a cream underside from the chest to the tip of the tail. It has a long snout and neck, small blue eyes, and two horns protruding from the back of its head. There are large wings with teal undersides sprouting from its back. Its arms are short and skinny and its hands have three clawed fingers. Its feet have three clawed toes and cream-colored soles. _

_This Pokémon flies in search of powerful opponents to battle, and its fire will burn hotter as it gains experience. Its fiery breath is capable of melting boulders, massive glaciers, and has been known to accidentally cause forest fires. Charizard typically inhabit mountains and valleys._

On my right side in the picture was a beautiful young woman that used to live next door to me. Her name was Hilda White. She had long, chestnut brown hair that she constantly wore up in an intricate ponytail and sapphire blue eyes. She was my girlfriend during our journey across the Unova Region, but she was also killed near the end of it.

The second picture on the opposite side of my Badges was a solo picture of Hilda. I fixated on this picture a lot during nights where I couldn't sleep and I did the same on this one. I then sighed as I sat up in bed and stared out my window to the night sky.

The moon shone brightly, nestled amongst the stars that glittered the midnight blue sky.

I stood to my feet and approached my window. I opened it and climbed out to sit on the roof of my home. I unconsciously found myself about to knock on the window of the neighboring home to wake Hilda up, but had to somberly remind myself that she wasn't going to answer my knocks. She was dead.

I stared out to the night sky and sat there on my roof, feeling lonelier than ever as tears fell from my dark eyes.

(Page Break)

Across the ocean from the Unova Region lay another known as the Kalos Region. Within this region lays a small suburb-of-a-town very similar to Nuvema Town. It was called Vaniville Town, however.

Inside one of the homes, a young woman was fast asleep despite the morning sun poking through the curtains in her bedroom. Downstairs the young woman's mother was fixing breakfast for her still-sleeping daughter and then sighed as she completed her task, knowing that she was going to be forced to wake her daughter up, again.

"Fletchling, would you mind waking Serena up?" the young woman's mother asked a small Pokémon.

(Pokédex)

"_**Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. These friendly Pokémon send signals to one another with beautiful chirps and tail-feather movements."**_

_Fletchling are small, avian Pokémon similar in appearance to robins. They have a reddish-orange head with a triangular yellow mark on the back of each eye. Their body and wings are gray, and there are white tips on the wings. They have long, black tail with a white 'v'-shaped marking near the tip. The tail ends in two points, and has two feathers sticking out at the base, giving the impression of the fletching on the end of an arrow. Their legs, beak, and eyes are black. The legs are thin and spindly, with two toes facing forward and one pointing backward on each foot._

_Fletchling are said to be very friendly and are well-known for their beautiful songs. They communicate by using chirps and moving their tail-feathers to signal one another. In spite of their typically peaceful disposition, they are relentless in battle and very territorial, attacking perceived threats mercilessly._

Fletchling nodded and tweeted as it flew through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into Serena's bedroom. Fletchling flew around the young woman's bed before dive-bombing her awake.

"Ah!" Serena cried out as she awoke from her sleep.

Due to her frantic awakening, Serena then fell off her bed, and landed on the carpeted floor of her room. She glared at Fletchling as the Pokémon perched itself on Serena's bedpost.

"You couldn't have waited five minutes? I was having such a great dream," Serena complained as she pulled herself to her feet.

She walked over to her bedroom mirror to make sure her hair was at least decent-looking.

She was an attractive young woman with dark blonde hair the color of honey and stormy gray eyes. She smiled as she used a brush to keep her long hair down to a more acceptable level and then looked at Fletchling.

"What do you think?" she asked the Normal/Flying-type Pokémon.

Fletchling responded with a chain of excited tweets to show its support of Serena's now managed bed hair.

"Good, now let's go downstairs," Serena said, holding out her arm for Fletchling.

Fletchling launched itself from Serena's bedpost and perched itself onto her outstretched arm. Serena then ran down the stairs to greet her mother.

"Good morning Mom," she said as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Good morning Serena, I see that Fletchling did a good job at waking you up," Serena's mother commented.

"Yes, he did, but honestly Mom you don't have to keep using him as my alarm clock," Serena responded as her mother poured her a glass of Oran Berry Juice.

"I could use Rhyhorn," Serena's mother commented.

(Pokédex)

"_**Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon. Strong, but not too bright, this Pokémon can shatter even a skyscraper with its charging Tackles."**_

_Rhyhorn is a rhinoceros-like creature with a body covered in gray, rocky plates. Its underside and rear are smooth, and it has four short legs with two claws on each foot. It has a triangular head with narrow, red eyes, two fangs protruding from its upper jaw, and small, triangular openings on the upper sides. A spiked ridge runs along its back, and it has a single short horn on the tip of its snout. The female has a shorter horn than the male. In addition to its rocky hide, its bones are a thousand times harder than human bones._

_Rhyhorn's brain is very small, giving it a one-track mind. When it runs, it forgets why it started and continues until it falls asleep. However, it may recall the reason upon demolishing something. Rhyhorn runs in a straight line due to its short legs making it inept at turning. It does not care if obstacles get in the way, merely smashing through them or sending them flying. Sometimes it may feel pain the day after a collision. Rhyhorn lives in rough terrain._

"Um… no thanks," Serena responded.

Said-Rhyhorn bellowed from the front yard and came to the low window to peak in on its Trainer and her daughter that were just talking about it.

That got both Serena and her mother laughing.

"Now, to get to the important part of today," Serena's mother said as she walked to the kitchen counter.

She opened a cupboard and pulled out a pink box with a red bow on it.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Serena. Happy birthday to you," Serena's mother sang as she walked back to her daughter with the present in hand.

Fletchling and Rhyhorn even sang along in their own special way.

"Aw, Mom, you didn't have to get me anything," Serena responded, looking at the box as her mother placed it on the kitchen table.

"Oh nonsense, open it, dear," Serena's mother responded.

Serena smiled and opened it, revealing a Kalos-edition Pokédex, a note, and three Pokéballs.

"Read the note first, sweetie," Serena's mother said to her surprised daughter.

Serena grabbed the note, hands shaking slightly, and opened it to read.

"Dear Serena Grace, happy eighteenth birthday! Your mother Selene has informed me of your birthday and how you wished to go on a Journey rather than enter her profession as a Rhyhorn Racer. Your mother understands this completely and has arranged for me to send you the three Starter Pokémon new Trainers receive when starting out in the Kalos Region. Choose carefully because you can only choose one, then please go to your neighbors Calem Hill and Shauna Davis so that they may choose their own Pokémon as well. Sincerely, Professor Augustine Sycamore," Serena read.

She then looked at her mother incredulously.

"Go ahead Serena, choose your first Pokémon so that you may begin your journey," Selene said, smiling at her daughter as her, Fletchling, and Rhyhorn awaited Serena's decision for her first Pokémon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I never went to sleep last night, I just spent the last five and a half hours of the night laying out on my roof, waiting for the sun to rise over the horizon line.

I kept looking over at Hilda's window, pleading that she would come out, but she never did.

Downstairs, my mother was already up and cooking breakfast for my sister Nixa and me. Then a knock on the front door interrupted her cooking and she went to the door to see who it was.

I had already known it was Spectra Flame and her boyfriend N. They were both friends of mine, but despite this, I really didn't want to see them right now, so I hid by the chimney on my roof.

"Oh good morning, Spectra, Nero is up in his room. I think he's still asleep," my mother greeted them at the door.

"Oh what a lovely home," N commented as he and Spectra walked into my house.

"Thank you, N," my mother thanked him.

"Sweetie, I'm gonna go wake up Nero," Spectra said, smiling at N.

She then headed toward the stairs.

"Oh it's two doors on your right," my mother said.

"I know, Ms. Hishiro, I know," Spectra responded, smiling slyly.

She walked up the stairs and ventured into my room, but of course failed to find me.

"He isn't in his room!" Spectra called down to my mother.

"Really? Check the bathroom or the roof!" my mother called back.

"Quit yelling, God, I'm trying to sleep!" my sister Nixa called out of her room.

Spectra decided that I must be on the roof sulking in my own misery.

She climbed out my bedroom window and began searching for me.

"If I was a Nero, where would I be?" Spectra asked herself, looking around the roof.

She then looked at the chimney and smiled. I was still sitting behind it, not knowing that Spectra had come onto the roof with me. Suddenly her face popped out from behind the chimney and scared the living shit out of me.

"What you doing!?" she asked me loudly.

I jumped and then fell off my roof, first landing on a hedge in front of the house, and then rolled onto the ground. I lay there on my back as N and my mother came running out to see what had happened. I didn't bother greeting either of them. Above me, Spectra looked down to the three of us and smiled.

"I found him!" she called down.

I then pulled myself to my feet and walked past my mother and N into my house. I sat down at the kitchen table and stared at a pitcher of orange juice on the table. N and my mother came into the house and Spectra and Nixa came walking down the stairs. They joined me at the kitchen table and looked at me.

"I'm fine," I insisted.

"No you're not, you fell back into your depression the minute you came home and saw Hilda's house," my mother responded, standing to her feet.

"I know… you're right, I need to pull through this. I need to accelerate my plans on leaving," I said.

My mother smiled solemnly and nodded.

"It's for the best. You need to go to Kalos, I'm tired of you staying up all night on that God damned roof. You need to leave," my mother said to me.

I nodded to her and sighed.

"We'll be cheering you on from home and we'll be sure to come to Kalos when you get to the Kalos League," Nixa said, trying to cheer me up.

I smiled at my little sister and ruffled up her hair.

"And N and I will come along with you for company. I also want to see all the cool things Kalos has for me to steal," Spectra said, earning a look from my mother.

"Actually, I'm not going anywhere," N suddenly revealed.

"What… Why?" Spectra asked, her voice growing soft.

"I need to stay here and redeem myself for everything I've done," N said.

"But it wasn't your fault," Spectra said.

"I know, but I still feel the need to fix things," N said.

"But…," Spectra still tried responding, but N stopped her.

"Go with Nero, have fun in Kalos," N told her.

Spectra pouted a little bit, but I quickly jabbed her in her ribs with my fingertips, earning a laugh.

"Don't do that! I'm ticklish!" Spectra complained, punching me.

"Oh Kalos is going to be fun," I muttered under my breath.

(Page Break)

Serena released the three Pokémon from inside the Pokéballs and looked at all three of them.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp that they can pierce rock."**_

_Chespin is a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon. It has a light brown front with dark brown arms and three triangular markings on its face. There is a tough, green shell covering its back, which extends from its head to halfway down its tail. There is a small, off-center hole in the shell on the back of Chespin's head. The shell can protect Chespin from powerful attacks. Around the face, the shell has four leaf-like spikes, and one split into three parts on the back of its head. These quills are typically soft, but Chespin can stiffen them and use them for attack as well. Chespin's oval eyes are brown, and it has a triangular red nose and rodent-like incisors. Its arms have three fingers, while its feet have two long claws. The visible part of its tapered tail is red. Despite having a curious nature that tends to get it in trouble, Chespin keeps an optimistic outlook and does not worry about small details._

"_**Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than three hundred and ninety degrees Fahrenheit."**_

_Fennekin is a quadruped, fox-like Pokémon. It is covered in pale yellow fur that is longer on its haunches. Tufts of dark orange fur cover the insides of its large ears, and it has a white muzzle with longer fur on its cheeks. Hot air is vented from its ears, reaching temperatures of over 390 degrees Fahrenheit. It has large, dark orange eyes and a pointed, black nose. Fennekin also has small paws with no visible toes and slim legs. Its tail is fluffy with a dark orange tip. Fennekin chews on twigs instead of eating snacks. It can be temperamental, but it tries to do its best for its Trainer._

"_**Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked."**_

_Froakie is a quadruped, frog-like Pokémon. It is covered in pale blue skin with white front paws. There is a single, dark blue stripe going down the center of its head to its nose. Its eyes are large with yellow sclera, black irises, and white pupils. A cape of white bubbles covers its back, and it has two small bubbles on its nose. These bubbles give Froakie added protection from attacks. Its hind feet have two toes, while its forefeet have three. Froakie is both light and strong, making it capable of jumping incredibly high. It keeps a careful eye on its surroundings, despite its carefree attitude._

"They're all so cute, I don't know which one to choose," Serena said frantically, looking at all three Pokémon in front of her.

"Well, when I needed to choose my Rhyhorn for my races, I let him choose me. Ain't that right Rhyhorn?" Serena's mother provided her daughter with some advice.

Rhyhorn roared in agreement. Serena then nodded at her mother and knelt down in front of the three Pokémon. She looked at Chespin, who immediately rolled up into a ball. Serena frowned and then moved onto Froakie, who expanded the bubbles on his chest and back.

"Cool," Serena said.

Froakie then threw a glob of these bubbles at Serena, hitting her in the face with them, and snickered at her expense.

"Jerk," she muttered, clearing the bubbles off her face.

She then looked at Fennekin, who was busy grooming her tail.

"Aw, you like looking good too?" Serena asked.

Fennekin yipped in agreement and ran to Serena.

"I chose my Pokémon… err… I mean my Pokémon chose me," Serena said to her mother.

"Congratulations, Serena. Now Professor Sycamore wanted you to go to Calem's and Shauna's home so that they may pick their Pokémon as well," Serena's mother said, returning Chespin and Froakie back to their Pokéballs.

"Yes Mom," Serena responded, standing to her feet.

Fennekin looked up at her Trainer, cocking her head with curiosity.

"Come with me Fennekin, I need your opinion on my outfit," Serena said, running toward the stairs.

Fennekin yipped and ran after her Trainer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I was packing my bags with clothes, toiletries, and other supplies for my journey through the Kalos Region. I pocketed my wallet that had a good amount of Pokédollars in it as well as my bank card with the rest of that million Pokédollar prize I got for defeating Alder, the Unova Champion. I grabbed the other prize I had received for defeating Alder, the PokéBrace.

With the PokéBrace I can carry as many Pokémon I like rather than the max of six other Trainers do. I could also capture Pokémon with it without the need of Pokéballs. It was an incredible tool I could use.

I also grabbed my necklace that had my Mega Ring attached to it. With my Mega Ring, I could Mega Evolve some of my Pokémon if I have the correct Mega Stone. The only Pokémon, however, that I have a Mega Stone for was Charizard.

I put the necklace around my neck and walked into my kitchen with my pack full of clothes on my back. My mother was standing in the kitchen, waiting for me.

"Is it time?" my mother asked me.

I looked at her and nodded. My mother smiled and nodded back, knowing I had to go. She embraced me in a hug.

"I'll see you when you're in the Kalos League," my mother said, pulling away.

I nodded at her and then looked around for my little sister.

"Where's Nixa?" I asked my mother.

"She's taking a Junior-Trainer exam," my mother said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, she was inspired by you to start taking an interest in Pokémon training," my mother responded.

"Heh, I kind of don't want to go now… I want to see how she's doing on her exam," I said.

As if on cue, Nixa came running into the house with a big smile on her face.

"I passed! I passed!" Nixa shouted, running in.

My mother and I looked at her in surprise.

"Really? That's great, kid," I said, kneeling down in front of the thirteen year old.

"Yeah, and guess what!?" she asked me excitedly.

"What?" I asked her.

"They gave me a Pokémon!" Nixa said, holding a Pokéball in her hand.

"What!?" my mother asked frantically.

"What did they give you?" I asked Nixa.

"I'll show you, come on out!" Nixa called out, sending out her Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Extremely loyal to its Trainer, it will bark at those who approach the Trainer unexpectedly and run them out of town."**_

_Growlithe is a quadruped, canine Pokémon. It has orange fur with black stripes along its back and legs. The fur on its muzzle, chest, belly, and tail is cream-colored, and there is an additional tuft of cream-colored fur on top of its head. Growlithe's coat is noticeably longer on its chest and tail. It has gray eyes, a black nose, and large, round ears. Its forepaws have two visible claws, while its hind paws have three toes each. Each paw has a brown pad._

_Growlithe is a friendly and loyal Pokémon that will fearlessly defend its Trainer and its territory from harm. It drives threats away fiercely barking at or biting them, and even challenges larger, stronger enemies. Growlithe also has a powerful olfactory sense. It is able to smell the emotions of others, and never forgets a scent once smelled. However, strong, unpleasant smells can disable its sense of smell for short periods. Growlithe lives in grassy plains and near human settlements._

"I do not want a Pokémon running around my house," my mother said.

"But Mom, look at his face!" Nixa complained, picking Growlithe up off the ground.

He looked at my mother with big puppy eyes and whimpered a little. My mother looked at me, but she knew which side I was on.

"Fine, but you're taking care of him," my mother relented.

"Of course, I mean I am a Junior Trainer after all," my sister said with pride.

She then looked at me.

"Come on Nero, let's battle," Nixa said.

"Sorry Nix, I got to leave now," I said to her.

"Aww!" she pouted.

"But when I see you next, we will battle. Be sure to train Growlithe every day and don't burn the house down," I said to her.

"I won't, God Nero, I'm not you and Charizard for crying out loud," Nixa responded.

"Hey, that was one time," I said to her.

"Three," Nixa responded.

"Twice actually, and you broke my front door," my mother said.

We all shared a laugh and then Spectra came in.

"Nero, are you ready?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I said.

"Whose Growlithe is that?" Spectra asked.

"Mine," Nixa responded.

"Cool, I might have to steal him," Spectra said slightly jokingly.

"No!" Nixa responded, pulling Growlithe away from Spectra.

Growlithe growled and barked at Spectra aggressively and I pulled her outside.

"Why must you pick on my little sister?" I asked her.

"Because it was fun until she got that mutt," Spectra responded.

I sighed and just continued pulling her to the taxi she came in that would drive us to the airport.

_(Page Break)_

Serena gathered her neighbors Calem and Shauna so that they may pick their Pokémon between Chespin and Froakie.

Serena had changed into, and got the nod of approval from Fennekin, a black shirt and a red high-waisted dress, black stockings that went up to her upper thighs, and black tennis shoes. She also was wearing a red hat.

Calem was a young man, the same age as Serena and Shauna, with black hair and steel gray eyes. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt with blue jeans and black boots with blue laces. He was also wearing a dark red hat with a pair of black sunglasses on it.

Shauna was a thin young woman with long brown hair that was tied up and to the sides in twin pigtails and dark green eyes. She wore a pink shirt with three large black bow designs on it and blue jean shorts. She also wore pink shoes. She also had a black, flowery wristband on her right wrist.

"How do you want to pick?" Serena asked.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Shauna responded excitedly.

Calem didn't protest, so the two of them turned toward each other and played the game. Calem picked rock and Shauna picked scissors, so Calem won.

"No fair, best two out of three!" Shauna complained, but Calem ignored her and picked Froakie without a word.

"Well I wanted to pick Chespin anyways," Shauna said, trying to stay optimistic about being last to choose.

Calem grabbed his Pokédex and his five Pokéballs before heading back to his house.

"Calem, wait up!" Shauna called out.

Calem stopped and turned back to his neighbor.

"What?" he asked.

"Want to battle?" Shauna asked.

"No. I actually want to face someone that's a challenge," Calem said harshly.

Shauna frowned and Calem walked into his house, closing the door behind him. Serena's heart jumped out to Shauna as she approached her neighbor.

"Ignore him Shauna. He's a jerk, always been. I'll gladly battle you," Serena said.

Shauna immediately perked up and immediately sent out Chespin.

"Let's go, Gracie!" Shauna called out; using the nickname she came up for Serena.

Serena laughed a little bit into her hand and then sent out Fennekin.

"Chespin use Vine Whip!" Shauna called out.

A pair of vines shot out of Chespin's collar and lashed at Fennekin. Fennekin yipped and backed away from the vines.

"Go and use Tackle Fennekin!" Serena called out.

Fennekin ran forward and tackled into Chespin, knocking the Grass-type back.

"Tackle!" Shauna responded.

Chespin then tackled into Fennekin, knocking her back.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried out.

Fennekin was quick to get back on her feet and glared at Chespin determinedly.

"Good, you're okay… Use Ember and finish this!" Serena called out.

Fennekin jumped up and fired small balls of fire down onto Chespin, knocking him out.

"Chespin!" Shauna called out, running to her Starter Pokémon.

She held him in his arms as he woke up and smiled slightly, indicating he was okay. Serena and Fennekin ran over to Shauna and Chespin.

"I have some Oran Berries, Shauna. They're good for healing Pokémon as well as people. They are really tasty," Serena said, handing over a few blue berries to her neighbor.

"Thank you Serena," Shauna said, smiling at Serena.

She fed two Oran Berries to Chespin and he was revitalized and ate the last one herself, which immediately perked her up with its tastiness.

Serena smiled and fed one Oran Berry to Fennekin and ate the last one herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_He slammed her against the back wall and lifted her off her feet. Metagross sent a telekinetic push toward me, propelling me up in the air to the aircraft. _

"_Time to die, you fucking cunt," Ghetsis growled. _

_ I landed on the aircraft, but I was too late. I watched, heard, and felt as Ghetsis snapped Hilda's neck, killing her instantly right in front of me._

I woke up with a start from the nightmare and looked around, but only saw the inside of the airplane Spectra and I were in. She was fast asleep in the seat next to me.

Suddenly a sword was impaled through her midsection and Ghetsis leaned over our seats, sneering at me as he twisted the sword around and killed Spectra before my eyes.

I woke up with a start after having a nightmare within another nightmare, waking Spectra up beside me.

"Stop… stop… stop… stop… please, God let it stop…," I pleaded under my breath.

She looked at me concernedly and put her arm around my shoulders in an attempt to soothe me.

A couple hours later and we were in Kalos. The plane landed on the runway and Spectra and I walked off the plane with our packs in hand.

"We're here," I said to her with a slight smile.

"Yup," she responded sort of gloomily.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I miss N," she admitted.

"Don't worry, you'll see him again," I reassured Spectra.

She smiled a little and punched me on my arm. We then walked into the terminal and I looked around the area.

"Wow… I don't know where to start," I said.

"Well when I told Virgil that we were going to Kalos, he said to talk to Professor Sycamore in Luminose City," Spectra said.

"When did you talk to Virgil?" I asked.

Virgil was an Eevee Trainer and a friend of Spectra and me. He was also defeated the Champion of the Hoenn Region, but declined the offer to be Champion so he could continue his journey. I followed in his footsteps and did the same exact thing.

"I talked to him a day before we left Unova. He's staying in Unova on his uncle's ranch and I asked him to watch over Shadow and Espio for me," Spectra said.

"Wait, what Pokémon did you bring with you?" I asked her.

"Just Sparx and Aura. Shadow and Espio are with Virgil, Icicle and Sweetheart are with Cheren in Aspertia City," Spectra explained.

"I wonder how he likes being Gym Leader?" I asked both Spectra and myself.

"Probably a lot," Spectra responded, chuckling.

"Well let's go to Luminose City," I said, heading toward the exit.

"Um… Nero?" Spectra questioned me.

I turned and looked back at her.

"We're in Luminose City," Spectra pointed out.

"I knew that," I responded, continuing to the exit.

"Hey wait up!" Spectra called out, running after me.

_(Page Break)_

Serena was packing all of her nicest clothes in her pack as Fennekin sat on her bed gnawing on a twig she had found outside. Serena closed her pack and shouldered it.

"Well, this is it, Fennekin," Serena said to her little Fire-type Pokémon.

Fennekin yipped excitedly and wagged her bushy tail as she finished gnawing on her twig.

"Let's go punch Kalos in the face!" Serena called out, running out of her room.

Fennekin yipped behind her.

"Serena, wait," her mother said suddenly, stopping the honey-haired young woman.

Serena and Fennekin turned to the rookie Trainer's mother as she looked at her daughter solemnly.

"You weren't just going to run out into the world without saying goodbye to your mother, were you?" Serena's mother asked.

"No of course not, Mom," Serena said, smiling softly.

She embraced her mother in a hug.

"But I'm not going to say goodbye," Serena said.

"Oh?" Serena's mother asked as her daughter pulled out of the hug.

"Yeah, see you later," Serena said, smiling.

Serena's mother watched her daughter and her Starter Pokémon leave and smiled.

"Yeah… See you later," Serena's mother said.

Serena and Fennekin ran to the Vaniville Gates and looked at them for a moment.

"Here we go Fennekin… this is the beginning to our journey together," Serena said.

Fennekin yipped and wagged her tail. Serena took a deep breath and the motion sensor on the top of the gates saw her coming and opened, taking her out onto the Vaniville Pathway.

It was a simple, mile-long path with thick shrubbery on either side. Serena and Fennekin walked through it in about ten minutes, entering Aquacorde Town.

It was another small town with several small shops where a person could buy supplies, food, coffee, and other items. North of the town was a stone bridge that stretched over a river.

Serena was already fully stocked on supplies, so she passed over the bridge without buying a single thing, entering the Avance Trail. There was the small creek to the west of the trail that snaked off from the much larger river back in Aquacorde Town. Ahead of Serena and Fennekin was the entrance to a massive forest.

"Hey you!" a voice called out to Serena, causing her to turn around.

She looked at a short kid her own age with a blue hoodie and cargo shorts on.

"Hi," Serena greeted him.

"My name is Austin. I can see you're a Pokémon Trainer, so I challenge you to a battle!" Austin called out.

Serena looked taken back by his sudden demand.

"A battle?" she questioned.

"Yeah, it's what Pokémon Trainers do to train their Pokémon," Austin explained to her.

Serena nodded and smiled down at Fennekin.

"What do you think, Fennekin? Want to battle Austin?" Serena asked the Fire-type Pokémon.

Fennekin yipped and growled at Austin to show him she was tough.

"Alright, let's go Zigzagoon!" Austin called out his Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Zigzagoon, the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon. It walks in zigzag fashion. It's good at finding items in the grass and even in the ground."**_

_Zigzagoon is a raccoon-like quadruped Pokémon with bristly, zigzag-patterned fur made of layers of cream and brown. It has a brown head with spiky ears. It has a black nose and a mask pattern over its brown eyes. The upper half of its mouth is jagged, and when it is open, there are two fangs in its lower jaw. Its feet have three claws and pink paw pads. Its forefeet are cream-colored, and the hind feet are brown. Its brush tail is spiky and bristly._

_Zigzagoon is abundantly curious, as it wanders restlessly back and forth while rubbing its nose to the ground in search of something. It rubs its bristly back air against trees to mark its territory, and plays dead to fool opponents in battle. Zigzagoon is found commonly in grassy fields._

"Aww, such a cute Pokémon!" Serena squealed.

Austin looked down at Zigzagoon, but let Serena's comment pass.

"Ladies first," Austin said.

"Ooh a gentleman. Fennekin, use Ember!" Serena called out.

Fennekin fired the small balls of fire at Zigzagoon.

"Dodge it and use Tackle!" Austin called out.

Zigzagoon sidestepped the Ember and then ran forward, hitting Fennekin. Fennekin rolled across the ground, and pulled herself back to her feet.

"Try using Ember again!" Serena called out.

Fennekin quickly fired the small balls of fire again, this time hitting Zigzagoon. The Normal-type Pokémon struggled to get back to its feet and suddenly a flare came over it, signaling it was burned.

"Zigzagoon!" Austin cried out.

"Finish this with Tackle!" Serena called out.

Fennekin ran forward and plowed into Zigzagoon, knocking it out. Fennekin trotted back to Serena with pride while Austin made sure Zigzagoon was okay. Serena walked over as well to check on the Normal-type Pokémon.

"Here I have some Oran Berries," she said, opening her pack.

She pulled out a container with the Berries and handed two to Austin, who fed them to Zigzagoon. The Normal-type perked right up and ran around.

"Thanks. You're a really strong fighter," Austin said to Serena.

"Thank you," she responded, blushing from the praise.

"No problem, so are you heading into Santalune Forest?" Austin asked.

"Yeah," Serena responded.

"Cool. There are a lot of Pokémon in there that are strong, but you should be able to make it," Austin said.

Serena nodded and looked at the forest to the north.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Luminose City was huge, almost as big as Castelia City back in Unova. There was this huge tower in the center of the city and it was full of people and Pokémon. There were Pokémon that I've seen before and some that were completely new to me.

"God, you look like a kid in a candy store," Spectra commented.

"Shush. I'm trying to find Sycamore's Lab," I hushed her.

The map was confusing. I had no idea where I was.

"Oh just take the taxi," Spectra said, walking over to a blue taxi cab.

She knelt down beside the driver side window and smiled.

"Sycamore's Lab, please?" she asked the driver.

"Sure thing little lady," the driver responded.

Spectra smiled and opened the back door. I sat in the backseat beside her and the cab drove us to Sycamore's Lab.

"That will be a thousand Pokédollars," the cab driver said.

I grumbled about the price for a five minute ride and handed over the money. I then got out of the cab and Spectra followed suit.

We stood in front in an old-style building nuzzled amongst large business buildings. Spectra and I walked up the steps and walked into the Lab.

_(Page Break)_

Serena walked into Santalune Forest with Fennekin walking at her feet.

It was dark from the overhead canopy that blocked out the sun thick foliage surrounded all of the various trails.

"You okay Fennekin?" Serena asked her Starter warily.

Fennekin nodded and they continued to trot on. Suddenly a Pokémon swung down from the trees on a String Shot and hit Serena in the face, causing her to fall back on her rear. She looked up at aimed her Pokédex at the Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokémon. When under attack from bird Pokémon, it spews a poisonous black powder that causes paralysis on contact."**_

_Scatterbug is a small, black, insectoid Pokémon with a large head that takes up most of its body. The head is bisected by a line that runs from the forehead to the mouth, where it splits off. It has large khaki-colored eyes with square black pupils and no visible sclera. One tooth pokes out of its small mouth, and there are three white hairs on top of its head. Scatterbug has a three-segmented abdomen with two small, nubby legs on each segment. A white ruff of fur runs around its neck, and there is a large beige spot on its rear. If threatened by a bird Pokémon, it can spew a powder that paralyzes on contact. The powder covering its body regulates its temperature, allowing it to adapt to any climate._

"Oh cool, a Scatterbug," Serena said, pulling herself back up to her feet.

She then looked down at Fennekin.

"Let's catch it," she said to the Fire-type Pokémon.

Fennekin yipped excitedly and looked at the Bug-type in front of her and Serena.

"Fennekin use Ember!" Serena called out.

Fennekin fired the tiny balls of fire at the Bug-type, knocking it down off its String Shot. Scatterbug hit the ground and was knocked out.

"Um… go Pokéball?" Serena questioned the ease it was to catch Scatterbug.

She tossed the Pokéball and it engulfed Scatterbug inside. The Pokéball waddled a bit on the ground and then spat out sparks indicating that Scatterbug had been caught.

"Woohoo! I caught a Scatterbug!" Serena called out, holding the Pokéball up in the air in triumph.

Fennekin jumped up in glee, yipping alongside her Trainer.

_(Page Break)_

"Well hello there," an older man greeted Spectra and I as we walked into Professor Sycamore's Lab.

He had dark blue hair and gray eyes. He was wearing a blue button-up shirt and jeans with a lab coat over it as well as brown shoes.

"Hi, my name is Nero Hishiro," I introduced myself.

"Spectra Flame," Spectra introduced herself.

"Augustine Sycamore, Professor of the Kalos Region," the man introduced himself.

_(Page Break)_

Serena and Fennekin had managed to get out of Santalune Forest and now entered onto Ouvert Way.

"Yo neighbor!" a familiarly smug voice called out to Serena from up ahead.

Serena and Fennekin ran to a ledge and looked down, seeing Calem looking up at her.

"What do you want?" she asked him, not being too fond of her neighbor.

"Come down here and battle me," Calem said.

Serena was about to respond when the ledge she was standing on gave away and she fell. Calem reacted fast and caught Serena before she hit the ground. Their gray eyes met for a brief moment before Serena pulled away.

"Thanks," she muttered, looking up on top of the ledge where Fennekin looked down with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm fine, Fennekin, jump down. I'll catch you!" Serena called out to the Fire-type Pokémon.

Fennekin let out a yip and jumped off the ledge into Serena's waiting arms.

"Alright, now that you're down here, let's battle," Calem said, sending Froakie out.

"What makes you think I wanted to battle you in the first place?" Serena asked.

"Well you were in such a hurry to come down to me," Calem responded smugly.

Serena scoffed.

"I fell," Serena said.

"Well if you need me to help you stand on your own two feet, I'll be in Santalune City, challenging the Gym Leader," Calem said as he and Froakie started walking away.

"Stop right there!" Serena called out, pointing at Calem.

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder.

"You. Me. Battle. Now," she said.

Calem shrugged his shoulders and turned around.

"Froakie, let's make this quick. Use Quick Attack," Calem ordered with confidence.

Froakie suddenly hopped forward and slammed into Fennekin without warning. Fennekin cried out and hit a tree, sliding to the ground. It took Froakie one move to knock Fennekin out.

"Wow, that was quick," Calem commented as Froakie jumped onto his shoulder, snickering.

Calem began snickering as well as Serena scooped Fennekin up in her arms.

"Maybe next time, you're battling prowess will be able to match your big, fat mouth," Calem said smugly.

Serena glared daggers at him and stormed over to him.

"Go fuck yourself!" she snapped, slapping him across the face.

He was visibly shocked by her outburst. Serena pushed past Calem and ran to Santalune City to heal Fennekin at the Pokémon Center.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Professor Sycamore, Spectra, and I were sitting at a table, speaking about Pokémon.

"I saw your battles at the Unova League, you especially caught my attention with your Mega Evolution of your Charizard," Professor Sycamore said.

"Yeah, my friend Virgil gave me the Mega Stone and the Mega Ring," I said.

"Wonderful, do you have any other Pokémon that can Mega Evolve?" Professor Sycamore asked me.

"I don't know," I responded.

"Well I have an understanding of twenty-five Pokémon that can Mega Evolve," Professor Sycamore said.

"Well if you have an area where I can send out all my Pokémon then maybe we'd be able to see if any of them can Mega Evolve," I said.

Professor Sycamore then got up from the table with a determined smile on his face.

"Follow me," he said, leading Spectra and me out to the back of the Lab.

It was a large grassy expanse with a good-sized pond and a rocky outcropping. There were several Pokémon flying around it.

"Oh wow… Come check this out guys!" I called out, using my PokéBrace to send out all eighteen of my Pokémon.

"Come on out you two!" Spectra called out, sending out Sparx and Aura.

All our Pokémon stretched as the other Pokémon flocked around to see what was going on.

I immediately noticed a powerful-looking Garchomp in the midst of them. Charizard locked eyes with the Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon and I could tell that a fight to see who's stronger was about to happen.

"Gardevoir, please calm them down," I whispered to the Psychic/Fairy-type.

She nodded and used her psychic abilities to ease the testosterone that Charizard and Garchomp had, easing the tension between the two.

"Well of the Pokémon here, Charizard, Lucario, Gardevoir, Gengar, and Garchomp all can Mega Evolve," Professor Sycamore said.

I looked at Gardevoir and Gengar surprisingly.

"That's cool. Do you know where I can get the Mega Stones?" I asked Professor Sycamore.

"Alas, the studies for Mega Evolution are only in its infancy," Professor Sycamore said.

"So you don't know?" I determined.

Sycamore nodded.

"But if I can ask of your assistance in helping me learn more of Mega Evolution, I would be greatly appreciative," Professor Sycamore said.

I looked at Spectra, asking her wordlessly if she would be up for the challenge. She nodded.

"We'll do it," I said.

"Oh that's great!" Professor Sycamore called out excitedly.

Charizard felt something looking directly at him and began looking for the source of the staring, ending his gaze on a small fox-like Pokémon hiding in the bushes.

He immediately walked over to the bushes and saw a Fennekin trying to hide, but its bushy tail gave it away. Charizard grabbed Fennekin by the tip of its tail and picked it up. Fennekin hung there upside down by the tip of its tail, blushing furiously at Charizard.

"_Why are you hiding_?" Charizard asked.

"_Um… no reason…_," Fennekin responded meekly, revealing to Charizard she was a female.

Charizard let her go and Fennekin immediately looked down at the ground, still blushing.

"Hey Charizard, what's going on?" I asked him, walking over.

I saw Fennekin and then looked up at Charizard questionably.

"_She was watching me from the bushes_," Charizard explained.

I looked down at Fennekin and squatted down in front of the small Fire-type Pokémon.

"Hey, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you," I said to her.

She looked up briefly, but looked back down at the ground as soon as she met eyes with Charizard.

"Charizard, look less scary," I muttered up at the Fire/Flying-type.

He looked at me incredulously, but relented and had a more friendly disposition. Fennekin slowly looked up at me and smiled a little bit.

"_Hi…_," she said shyly.

She then looked at her tail and saw how out of order it was. She immediately took on a look of sadness over it. I could see tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, noticing the tears.

I was suddenly hit in the face with a bunch of bubbles, causing me to fall over onto my backside. Charizard looked up at the source of the bubbles and was hit as well, but it didn't do anything to him but piss him off.

A blue frog-like Pokémon appeared in front of Fennekin, glaring at Charizard and me. Charizard stepped forward and readied a Dragon Claw to teach this Pokémon a lesson.

"Stop," I ordered immediately.

Charizard grumbled, but obeyed me. The Pokémon in front of me glared at me more.

"_Froakie, it's okay_," Fennekin said, grabbing the Pokémon's attention.

"_Hold still_," Froakie said, pulling a pair of bubble globs from his neck.

He used it to straighten and smooth out Fennekin's tail.

"_Aww thanks Froakie_!" Fennekin exclaimed happily.

Froakie blushed slightly and just nodded. He then looked back at me.

"_Who are you, why are you here_?" he asked me.

"Nero Hishiro, visiting with Professor Sycamore," I responded.

"_We'll see about that… Professor Sycamore_!" Froakie suddenly called out.

Professor Sycamore and Spectra then came running over with the rest of the Pokémon following close behind.

"What is it, Froakie?" Professor Sycamore asked.

"Wait you can understand Pokémon?" I asked him.

"Yes, I can," Professor Sycamore said to me.

"_Is he visiting with you_?" Froakie asked, pointing at me.

"Yes he is," Sycamore answered.

I gave Froakie a look that said 'I told you so' and he responded with a look that said 'I'm watching you, asshole'.

"Now where is Chespin?" Professor Sycamore asked.

Suddenly a hard ball fell out of the trees above and hit me on the top of the head. I fell onto my back, dazed from the blow, and I then saw that the ball was a Pokémon. It unrolled from its ball form and began laughing.

"_We got him Froakie! I waited for that 'I'm watching you' look that you said was the signal for attack and attacked_!" the Pokémon exclaimed, laughing uncontrollably.

"_Chespin… he's legit_," Froakie said.

"_Oh… oops_," Chespin responded.

I sat there on the ground, rubbing my head.

"Are you okay?" Spectra asked me, kneeling down beside me.

"I think," I muttered in response.

I glared at Chespin and shook my head to rid myself of the double vision. Spectra helped me to my feet and Professor Sycamore looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry about that. Chespin is… a bit of a prankster," Professor Sycamore said.

"_Woohoo! Pranks_!" Gengar called out randomly.

I gave her a look and she just stuck her tongue out at me.

_(Page Break)_

Outside the lab, three hooded figures were watching us from the sun roof up above the Pokémon area.

"We should take him out now," one of them said.

"You're right," the center one responded, aiming a strange-looking gun at me.

He then aimed it at Garchomp and fired it.

_(Page Break)_

The glass from the sun roof above us shattered, grabbing everyone's attention.

Several large glass shards were falling straight for Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, so I did the reckless heroic thing I was known for and grabbed all three of them, pulling them away from the falling glass.

"You okay?" I asked them.

"Garchomp?" Professor Sycamore questioned, grabbing my attention.

The Dragon/Ground-type Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon put his claws on either side of his head and his eyes suddenly turned completely red. His mind was being controlled.

"Professor Sycamore, move!" I called out.

Garchomp then lashed out at Sycamore with a Dragon Claw, but the Professor was protected by the quick thinking of Gallade, who jumped between the two, blocking the Dragon Claw with Leaf Blade.

I looked up at the sun roof, but saw nothing, so I returned my attention to Garchomp, who was now using Flamethrower on Gallade, but it was blocked by Gardevoir's Protect.

Garchomp then used Dragon Rush, launching himself through the air and out the sun roof. The Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon hit a neighboring building and raked his claws down the side of it before landing on the streets of Lumiose City.

Several panicked pedestrians ran from the scene as Garchomp used Flamethrower on a parked car, causing it to explode and flip into a storefront. Garchomp then launched forward with Dragon Rush, causing more destruction.

Professor Sycamore, Spectra, and I ran out of the Lab with all of our Pokémon close behind.

"Charizard, time to fly!" I called out.

Charizard nodded and I climbed onto his back. We then flew off through the air, following the trail of destruction left by Garchomp.

Froakie led Chespin and Fennekin out of the Lab and he looked at Charizard and me as we flew off after Garchomp.

"_Let's go_," he said, leading the two other Pokémon in pursuit of Charizard and me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A man and his family were sitting down at the table, getting ready for dinner when suddenly Garchomp came bursting through the side of their home. Garchomp looked down at the family as the father shielded them from the Dragon/Ground-type.

"Gardevoir, use Protect!" I called out, firing Gardevoir from my PokéBrace while flying on Charizard's back.

The Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon appeared and used Protect over the family as Garchomp unleashed a Flamethrower, singing everything around them.

"Teleport them away!" I called out.

Gardevoir used Teleport to take the family to safety and Charizard and I fired a Flamethrower down at Garchomp, but the Dragon/Ground type used Dragon Rush to launch away from us.

"Damn it," I muttered as Charizard flew after him.

_(Page Break)_

Serena was sitting inside of the Santalune Pokémon Center, waiting for Nurse Joy to heal both Fennekin and Scatterbug.

Suddenly the television playing the news on her went to breaking news in Lumiose City. Serena turned to it and saw what was going on.

_(Page Break)_

Garchomp landed on a roof of a building as Charizard and I came up behind him.

"Garchomp, fight it!" I called down to him.

Garchomp turned to me and began growling, stepping away from me.

"No don't!" I called out, but it was too late.

Garchomp accidentally stepped off the edge of the building and fell toward the street.

Charizard and I flew over and we saw Garchomp spread his arms out and glide to the base of the massive tower in the center of Lumiose City.

"Garchomp!" I called out, but he used Dragon Rush and shot up to about the halfway point of the tower.

He landed on a ledge and a news helicopter came hovering around to get the incident on film. Garchomp fired a Flamethrower at the helicopter, hitting its tail. The aircraft spun around and started heading toward a crowd of people.

"Metagross use Psychic!" I called out.

The Steel/Psychic-type Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon appeared from my PokéBrace and used Psychic to hold the helicopter in place before telekinetically putting it down in a more safe location.

"Charizard, we need to end this before someone gets hurt… or even worse," I muttered.

"_Agreed_," Charizard responded to me.

We then flew over to where Garchomp was standing.

_(Page Break)_

Froakie led Fennekin and Chespin to the base of the tower and looked around. He found a trash chute on the side of the tower and looked inside.

"_Chespin, can you use Vine Whip and pull us up to where Garchomp is_?" Froakie asked.

Chespin nodded and fired twin vines from his collar, grabbing the inside of the door of the story that Garchomp was on.

"_Hold on_," Chespin said, grabbing both Froakie and Fennekin.

"_Is this a good idea_?" Fennekin asked.

"_Nero needs our help_," Froakie responded.

Chespin then pulled all three of them up the trash chute to the story that Garchomp was on. Froakie used Pound on the inside of the door, breaking it, and allowing the three of them access onto the floor.

"_Come on_," Froakie said, leading the other two to the edge of the tower where Garchomp was.

_(Page Break)_

"Let me off on the edge," I told Charizard.

"_What_?" he questioned.

"Just do it," I ordered.

Charizard relented and dropped me off on the ledge where Garchomp was standing. The Dragon/Ground-type immediately growled at me as soon as he saw me.

"Garchomp, I can help you," I told him.

I saw the device on his chest that was causing him to act this way. It was a Team Plasma mind control device. I inched closer to him, but Garchomp fired a Flamethrower, causing me to back away. He roared at me.

"_STAY AWAY_!" he roared.

"I can help you!" I called out.

Garchomp shook his head and then readied a Dragon Claw. He jumped forward and lashed out, but I backed away and he hit the ledge, damaging it.

"_Chespin now_!" Froakie suddenly called out.

I saw Chespin drop down from above, rolled up into a ball, and strike Garchomp on the top of his head. The Dragon/Ground-type only found this to be an annoyance and lashed out at Chespin, who ran away. Fennekin then fired an Ember at Garchomp, trying to hit the device on his chest, but Garchomp blocked it with his arm. Froakie then appeared and grabbed onto the device, ripping it off, and tossing it over the edge of the tower.

Garchomp wavered a bit, but caught himself, looking at the Kalos Starter Pokémon and me.

"_Thank you_," he said tiredly.

I nodded and then looked down at the three Pokémon in front of me.

"You three," I told them to get their attention.

They turned to me and I was about to say thank you, but suddenly the ground beneath them crumbled away from being damaged by Garchomp's Dragon Claw attack.

"No!" I called out, not even hesitating before I jumped down to grab the three of them in my arms.

We then fell together. Charizard dove down from above us to catch us, but wasn't fast enough.

"_NERO, USE MEGA EVOLUTION_!" he roared down to me.

I couldn't get to my Mega Ring to activate it since I had my arms around the three Pokémon, so Froakie pressed it for me. Charizard burst into a ball of blue fire and came out as Mega Charizard X. He narrowed his wings and caught us with his increased speed. He then leveled out and dropped the four of us off to safety.

Crowds of people swarmed around us as Charizard returned to his original form. Garchomp then glided down from the tower and the people that had swarmed around us moved behind me.

"He's fine," I said, moving to side with Garchomp.

I looked at everyone in the area and saw Spectra and Professor Sycamore.

"He was being controlled, but we got the device off him," I said.

I then reached up and patted Garchomp on the top of his head as proof. Garchomp might as well have been purring.

Spectra then pushed her way through the crowd and punched me in the gut.

"God you're so stupid and reckless and selfish!" she snapped at me.

"Love you too Mom," I muttered.

Spectra then pulled out her holophone and a hologram of my mother appeared to tell me the same thing.

I closed Spectra's holophone, cutting off the call, and looked down at Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie.

"Why did you three follow me?" I asked them.

"_To repay you for saving us_," Froakie said.

"_Yeah_," Chespin responded.

"Nero Hishiro," Professor Sycamore got my attention.

"Yeah?" I asked him.

"For saving countless lives, including the lives of Garchomp, Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, Lumiose City ought to be in your debt," Sycamore said to me.

"It was nothing," I responded.

"No, it was something. And I know what you can have as a reward," Professor Sycamore said.

Reward? I should do this hero stuff more often out here.

"Yes. It seems you've bonded with those three, as well as with Garchomp. It shows up in how much you were willing to risk just to save them. So if you are okay with it, they can go with you as you travel across the Kalos Region," Professor Sycamore said.

"Really?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Well I know I'm okay with it, but I want to make sure they're okay with it," I responded.

I looked down at the Kalos Starters.

"What do you think? Want to come with me?" I asked them.

"_Of course_!" Chespin exclaimed.

"_Sure_!" Fennekin exclaimed.

"_Absolutely_," Froakie agreed.

I nodded and then looked at Garchomp.

"Do you want to come with me?" I asked him.

"_Yes_," he growled in response.

I nodded and then aimed my PokéBrace at them. I absorbed them into the device and they were mine.

"No fair!" Spectra complained, but I just stuck my tongue out at her.

"Here are also two Kalos-edition Pokédexes for the both of you and a map of the region," Professor Sycamore said, handing the things over to Spectra and me.

"Thank you," Spectra said.

"Yeah thanks. Hey Professor Sycamore, where is the nearest Gym at?" I asked.

"Oh there's one here in Lumiose City, but in order to be allowed to challenge it, you must have four Gym Badges," Professor Sycamore said.

"Oh, where's the closest Gym after that then?" I asked.

"Just south of us in Santalune City. But first you'll have to register in the Kalos League at any Pokémon Center before challenging any of the Gyms," Professor Sycamore said.

"Well I know what I'm doing tomorrow," I responded, chuckling slightly.

"Do you know where the nearest Hotel is?" Spectra asked Professor Sycamore.

"That'd be Hotel Richissime up on North Boulevard. About three miles away, it would be about twenty-one hundred Pokédollars by cab," Professor Sycamore said.

"No thanks, no cab for me. I'll take the scenic route. Everyone, but Charizard return," I said and my PokéBrace returned them all.

"Let's go buddy," I said, climbing onto his back.

He then flew off into the sunset with me on his back as we headed for Hotel Richissime.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_I landed on the aircraft, but I was too late. I watched, heard, and felt as Ghetsis snapped Hilda's neck, killing her instantly right in front of me._

I woke up from the nightmare, looking around my dark hotel room. Spectra was asleep in the second bed next to mine.

"Nero, what's wrong?" Hilda asked me, sitting up in bed.

"It was a nightmare," I muttered in response.

"Aw, want to talk about it?" she asked me, kissing my shoulder.

"No, no it was nothing," I responded, turning around to look into her eyes.

Hilda looked back at me with her head lopsided and her neck broken.

I woke up screaming and flailing about. This woke up Spectra, who came running over to me from her bed and she embraced me.

"Nero, it was a dream. IT WAS A DREAM!" she shouted to me, holding me close against her.

I started calming down and looked around a bit before taking several deep breaths.

"I'm fine…," I told her, gasping for air.

"No you're not. These nightmares are getting worse. You need to talk to me about them," Spectra said.

"No, I'm fine," I told her again.

"Bullshit. This isn't the first time you've woken screaming. Talk to me," Spectra pleaded to me.

"Fine… I keep having this recurring nightmare of the moment Hilda died and then I wake up to either seeing you die or seeing Hilda alive, but with her neck broken," I told Spectra.

Spectra looked at me and smiled.

"Heh, I always knew you were weak," she said, standing up from the bed.

I watched her as she suddenly stabbed her fingers into her midsection and ripped her body open to let Ghetsis climb out, covered in her blood.

"Kill the weakling," Ghetsis hissed as he raised his sword over my head.

I had fallen asleep while telling Spectra about my dreams and went into another nightmare. I woke up panicking and lashed out at Spectra, hitting her in the side of the face with my palm. I fell off the other side of my bed and sat there on the floor against the wall, trying to collect myself.

"They're getting worse," I said as tears began welling up in my eyes.

"They're getting worse and I can't tell when I'm waking up. I have a nightmare only to wake up screaming into another nightmare!" I shouted as Spectra looked at me concernedly.

She immediately walked over to me and sat down on the floor next to me. She wrapped an arm around me and I cried onto her.

"Shh… it's gonna be okay… it's gonna be okay," she tried soothing me.

_(Page Break)_

Fennekin and Scatterbug had been all healed and Serena decided to check into a motel in the city.

She came out of the shower with a towel tied around her waist to shield her nakedness and quickly dressed into a pair of pajamas. She sat on her bed and looked out her window to the moon overhead. Serena began reminiscing on how easily she had been defeated by Calem and how he made her feel afterwards. She then began thinking about the incident in Lumiose City and how dangerous the journey is.

Serena lay back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't even know why I'm on this journey to be perfectly honest," Serena muttered.

_(Page Break)_

Spectra and I walked into the Lumiose City Pokémon Center and I handed Nurse Joy my PokéBrace and explained to her how to heal all twenty-two of my Pokémon without having to bring them out.

While she healed all our Pokémon, Spectra and I registered into the Kalos League.

Spectra and I then took a seat on one of the sofas in the lobby and waited for our Pokémon to be finished healing.

"Are you okay?" Spectra asked me.

I looked at her and nodded, though I wasn't too sure I was actually okay. Then out the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Hilda walk in with a group of Trainers. This caused me to get to my feet, but as soon as I got a closer look, I saw that I had just been hallucinating.

I sat down and ignored Spectra's worrisome look.

Nurse Joy called us over to the counter and I grabbed my PokéBrace, leaving the Pokémon Center without a word.

"Thank you," Spectra told Nurse Joy, running after me.

I was heading for the exit out of Lumiose City. I saw it was titled Parterre Way.

"Nero, wait up!" I heard Spectra call after me, but that just made me move quicker to get onto Parterre Way.

I stopped and saw Bianca staring at me in the middle of the Route. She was wearing a white dress and she smiled at me as a red stain appeared on the front of her dress.

"Bianca!" I called out as a sword burst through her midsection from behind.

Then Bianca and the sword disintegrated into black smoke and I was left cowering beneath a tree, trying to determine what was real or not.

Spectra came running onto the Route and saw me sitting beneath a tree. She approached me cautiously.

"Nero," she said carefully.

"I just want the nightmares to end," I told her.

"I know… I know," Spectra responded, getting on her knees in front of me so she could be level with me

She put her hand on my shoulder and I looked up at her.

"It's going to be okay," she said.

"Is it?" I asked her, slightly incredulous.

"Yes, I don't know when and I don't know how, but it will get better," Spectra said softly, smiling a little bit.

I looked at her and nodded. She nodded back and we both got back to our feet. We then got a good look of Parterre Way and we were amazed at its beautiful rose gardens and flower patches.

"Wow…," I muttered under my breath.

Then a Pokémon caught my attention and I aimed my Kalos Pokédex at it.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Flabébé, the Single Bloom Pokémon. It draws out and controls the hidden power of flowers. The flower Flabébé holds is most likely part of its body.**_

_Flabébé is a small white Pokémon with green on its bottom half. It has white arms and long, notched ears, and a green tail. It has a rounded yellow "crown" on its head. It has beady eyes and blush marks, and a small nose. It is seen holding the pistil of a flower, which has petals that come in five colors: red, orange, yellow, blue, or white. When Flabébé is born, it finds a flower and lives in and cares for it during Flabébé's lifespan. It can draw out the power of the flower it holds. It is a female-only species with no male counterpart._

This Flabébé was holding onto a white flower and gently drifted through the slight breeze that ran through the Route.

"I'm gonna catch a Flabébé," I told myself, sending Chespin out.

I looked at the small Grass-type.

"Chespin, use Pin Missile!" I called out.

He nodded as the spikes on his head glowed white. He then fired a barrage of missile-like shapes of energy at Flabébé, taking the Fairy-type Pokémon by surprise.

The tiny Pokémon hit the ground and I captured her with my PokéBrace.

"There, I caught a Flabébé," I said.

"Good for you, now back off so I can catch a Pokémon. You've already caught five, so let me catch one," Spectra told me.

"Alright, go have fun. No stealing," I told her.

I found an empty field and sent out all twenty-three of my Pokémon. Flabébé floated around to greet them all and I saw that she was an incredibly friendly Pokémon. She then looked at me and I gently cupped her in my hand.

"Hi, my name is Nero," I introduced myself.

"_Hi Nero_!" Flabébé responded cheerfully.

I smiled at the Fairy-type Pokémon and felt a slight relief come over me. Maybe I really needed some cheerfulness in my life right about now and Flabébé helped provide that.

"Well according to Professor Sycamore, the first Gym Leader is a Bug-type user, so I want to train with Flabébé and Fennekin since they have an advantage over Bug-types," I said to my Pokémon.

Several of my older Pokémon looked a bit bummed to be left out of the Gym battle, so I turned to them.

"Don't be sad you guys. It's only fair to let the new guys get some battling experience. I promise you'll be a great deal of help to me, because you'll be helping me train them," I said.

All my older Pokémon cheered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Flabébé, use Fairy Wind!" I called out.

Flabébé swung her white flower in front of her and a pink mist blew out from it toward Fennekin.

"Fennekin, counter with Ember!" I responded.

Fennekin fired the small balls of fire at the incoming wind and the two attacks collided, making a small explosion.

"Good job, both of you," I said as the smoke from the explosion cleared away.

Fennekin and Flabébé then charged into my arms and nuzzled against me to show their happiness.

"Alright you two," I said to them, chuckling a bit.

Fennekin hopped down onto the ground and groomed her tail a bit while Flabébé floated next to my head.

I then saw Spectra walking over with a smile on her face.

"Oh dear God, what did you do?" I asked her.

"Nothing, just caught a new friend," Spectra said, sending out her own Flabébé.

Her Flabébé was holding onto a blue flower.

"I named her Azure," Spectra said.

"Azure?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it's a shade of blue," Spectra explained.

"Ah," I responded.

Flabébé floated over to Azure and the two Fairy-type Pokémon smiled at each other.

"_Hi_!" they both greeted each other in unison, causing the four of us to laugh.

"God, I've missed this," I admitted.

"What?" Spectra asked me.

"All of this. Being able to just hang out with Pokémon without violence or death…," I said before pausing.

"I know Nero, I know," Spectra responded, smiling slightly.

_(Page Break)_

Serena woke up early the next morning and stretched out her arms and legs.

She looked out at the morning sun and sighed.

"Alright, let's see what today has in store for me," she said, smiling a little bit.

_(Page Break)_

Spectra and I walked into Santalune City's city limits and I headed for the Pokémon Center. I knew none of my Pokémon were injured, but I'd still like to have them all at their tip-top shape.

I waited as Nurse Joy healed all of my Pokémon and Spectra came up behind me, doing her usual tapping one shoulder while standing by the opposite one. As always, I caught onto her trick, and looked at my friend.

"What?" I asked her.

"I just stopped by the Gym and sadly the Gym Leader is out for the next two days," Spectra revealed.

"Really?" I asked her.

"Yep. Guess we'll be in Santalune City for a while," Spectra responded.

"Alright, well I'm sure there's something fun to do here in Santalune City," I responded, trying to be optimistic.

Nurse Joy then reappeared and handed me my PokéBrace. I thanked her and Spectra and I walked out of the Pokémon Center together. I then noticed a young woman walking in front of us with honey-colored hair and stormy gray eyes.

"Excuse me, ma'am," I grabbed her attention.

Yeah?" she questioned me.

"Do you know what there is to do in Santalune City? We're here to challenge the Gym Leader, but it turns out she is going to be gone for a couple of days," I asked the young woman.

"Sorry, I'm not from here," she responded.

The young woman then recognized me.

"I know you!" she announced, pointing directly at me.

I stepped back a bit, slightly taken back by the stranger's announcement.

"Um… Pardon?" I asked.

"I saw you on the news yesterday. You were the guy who flew after that Garchomp on your Charizard in Lumiose City!" the young woman exclaimed.

I blushed a little bit and chuckled.

"Yeah, that was me," I responded.

"Nero here is a bit of an idiot," Spectra chimed in.

"Nero… Nero Hishiro? The Unova Champion and the Hero of Truth!?" the young woman asked excitedly.

"That'd be me," I responded awkwardly.

"Oh my God! I remember watching the news story of when Team Plasma attacked the Unova League! You were flying all over the place like a superhero!" the young woman announced.

"Oh dear God… a fangirl," Spectra muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

My heart twang a bit at being compared to a superhero. I never liked the title of hero. I didn't believe I was a true hero since I wasn't able to save everyone I cared about.

"Are you okay?" the young woman asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I then realized that tears had been building up in my eyes.

"Nero?" Spectra questioned, reaching out to me, but I ran from the scene.

I had to get out of there. I was beginning to hyper-ventilate and I collapsed as I ran onto another Route called Détourner Way.

I sat there in the grass, watching my tears fall onto the ground.

"Mr. Hishiro," a soft voice grabbed my attention.

I looked up and saw the young woman from before. I immediately wiped the tears away with my wrist as she squatted down beside me.

"I'm so sorry for upsetting you," she apologized profusely.

"No, don't be," I responded quickly, standing to my feet.

The young woman stood next to me and watched me.

"Your friend told me… About your girlfriend," the young woman muttered carefully.

I just nodded, confirming what Spectra had told her.

"My name is Serena… Serena Grace," the young woman introduced herself, holding out her hand.

I looked at it briefly and then shook the young woman's hand.

"Nice to meet you… Serena Grace," I responded, smiling a little bit.

"Whoa, look!" Serena called out, pointing down at the ground.

I turned and saw a Pokémon looking at us.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon. It is constantly wracked by a headache. When the headache turns intense, it begins using mysterious powers.**_

_Psyduck is a yellow Pokémon that resembles a duck or bipedal platypus. Three tufts of black hair grow on top of its head, and it has a wide, flat, cream-colored beak and vacant eyes. Its legs, arms, and tail are stubby and its webbed feet are cream-colored. There are three claws on both of its hands._

_Psyduck is constantly stunned by its headache and is unable to think very clearly. It usually stands immobile, trying to calm its headache. However, when its headache becomes too severe, it releases tension in the form of strong psychic powers. The use of these powers produces brain waves identical to those seen in sleepers, and the Pokémon is unable to recall these episodes. Psyduck lives in freshwater lakes, small ponds, or rivers in tropical areas._

"Aw, he's so cute!" Serena gushed over the Psyduck, sending out her Fennekin.

"Serena…," I tried talking to the young woman, but she was too determined to even acknowledge that I had said anything.

"Fennekin, use Ember!" Serena called out.

Her Fennekin jumped up and fired small balls of fire at the Psyduck, who responded with Water Gun, extinguishing the Ember, and knocking Fennekin into Serena's gut, knocking both of them out simultaneously.

I stood there, looking at the obvious rookie Trainer and sighed, squatting beside her. The Psyduck ran off and jumped into a pond. Spectra then ran onto the scene and looked at me questionably.

"Long story," I responded.

Serena then came to and sat up, looking down at Fennekin sadly.

"Are you okay?" she asked the Fire-type Pokémon.

Her Fennekin nodded.

"Are _you _okay?" I asked Serena.

She looked up at me and nodded.

"Only my pride is hurt," she admitted.

"You're a new Trainer, aren't you?" I asked her.

Serena nodded, blushing a little bit.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed, we were all there at one point in our lives," I said.

"Nero here got knocked out by my Pikachu and me the first time we met," Spectra pointed out.

"You ambushed me with your pressure point technique," I responded.

"Yeah, yeah, you still were laying on your back and let me write a fun little message on your forehead," Spectra replied, sneering at me.

"_Either way_, we were all rookies at one point. It's nothing to get embarrassed about," I said.

"We got knocked out with one move," Serena pointed out.

"A super effective move," I responded.

Serena looked at me briefly and then nodded.

"I remember one of my teachers talking about that. I guess I shouldn't have fallen asleep in that class so much," Serena said.

"You fell asleep in that class too?" I asked her.

Serena nodded, moving some of her honey locks past her ear. I chuckled and smirked at her.

"Tell you what. I'll help you train, Serena," I said.

She looked at me in complete surprise.

"Really?" she asked me.

"Yeah. Everyone needs a teacher," I said.

"Who was your teacher?" Spectra asked me.

I looked at her and chuckled.

"Life," I responded, winking at my friend.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Serena, Spectra, and I stayed on Détourner Way so I could provide Serena with some tips. She sent out her Fennekin and Scatterbug and I immediately logged Scatterbug's information in my Pokédex.

"Alright, a Fire-type and a Bug-type. Nice basic Pokémon," I told Serena, who smiled at the praise.

"I don't have any Bug-type Pokémon myself, but I do have a Fire-type," I said, sending out Charizard.

The massive Fire/Flying-type Pokémon appeared and stretched his wings out proudly. Serena, her Fennekin, and Scatterbug looked up at my Starter Pokémon in amazement.

"I think Charizard can help Fennekin build up some of her Fire-type moves. I'll also bring out my Fennekin so that they both can get some training in," I told Serena, sending out my Fennekin as well.

I then looked down at Scatterbug with some interest. I've never worked with a Bug-type Pokémon before. The only time I really had any kind of experience with one was battling Burgh back in Castelia City and Alder for the title of Champion.

"What moves do you know, Scatterbug?" I asked the Bug-type Pokémon.

She promptly responded by shooting a String Shot around my entire head and then laughed at my expense.

"Oh my God, I am _so _sorry!" Serena cried out, rushing over to tear the thick webbing off my head.

I chuckled a little and waved her off.

"Anything else or is that it?" I asked Scatterbug.

She glared at me and then launched off the ground, using Tackle against my forehead, and knocking me onto my back. She then lifted her head up high with pride and began glowing.

"What's happening?" Serena asked, looking at her glowing Pokémon.

"She's evolving," I responded, sitting up.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Spewpa, the Scatterdust Pokémon. It lives hidden within thicket shadows. When predators attack, it quickly bristles the fur covering its body in an effort to threaten them."**_

_Spewpa are small, insectoid Pokémon. They have a large, round head, which is light gray in the back with a darker gray face. There are two khaki-colored dots on their face, one above each eye. The face is bisected by a thin, black line that ends in a khaki-colored triangle at the top of the head. Spewpa have two, ovular eyes that are the same color as their facial markings, and square black pupils and no visible sclera. Their body is covered with a white furry material, and there are red, black, and cream square particles surrounding it._

"Oh cool Scatterbug! You evolved into Spewpa!" Serena exclaimed excitedly.

"I guess defeating the "big and bad" Nero Hishiro helped her evolve," Spectra pointed out teasingly.

I pulled myself to my feet and glared at Spectra for her comments.

"You think you're all bad Spewpa?" I asked her.

She just looked at me.

"Go Froakie," I said, sending out the Water-type Kalos Starter.

I noticed Serena grow a bit uneasy upon seeing Froakie.

"Froakie, use Water Pulse," I ordered.

Froakie formed a ball of water in his hand and threw it at Spewpa. Spewpa responded by putting up a dome of energy around her. She had learned Protect upon evolving. I smiled as the Water Pulse was absorbed by the Protect.

"Whoa…," Serena muttered, looking at the Bug-type Pokémon.

Spewpa then launched forward and collided with Froakie.

"Serena, start calling out attacks! You're in a battle now!" I called out to the rookie Trainer.

Serena nodded and looked at Spewpa.

"Spewpa, use Tackle!" Serena called out.

Spewpa launched herself at Froakie.

"Dodge it and use Pound!" I responded.

Froakie jumped out of the way and bounced off a tree, slamming into Spewpa, knocking her back. Froakie smiled with satisfaction.

"Spewpa, wrap Froakie up with String Shot!" Serena called out.

Spewpa then fired a strand of webbing at Froakie, trapping the Water-type Pokémon.

"Now use Tackle!" Serena called out.

Spewpa then launched herself forward and hit Froakie, knocking him into the tree, and knocking him out.

"Oh no! I'm sorry!" Serena immediately apologizing, fearing that Spewpa and her may have overdone it.

"Don't be Serena. You did great!" I responded to Serena as I picked Froakie up in my arms.

He woke up and looked at me.

"_Sorry Nero_," he apologized to me.

"Don't be, you did great," I responded.

He nodded and we looked back at Serena, who was smiling triumphantly.

"See, you are a good Trainer, Serena," I told her.

She smiled and nodded. Spewpa then began glowing. She was evolving again!

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Vivillon, the Pattern Pokémon. Vivillon with many different patterns are found all over the world. These patterns are affected by the climate of their habitat."**_

_Vivillon is a butterfly-like Pokémon with wings that come in a large variety of patterns. Vivillon's main body has an elliptical shape divided into three segments, each with a different shade of gray. Its legs are also elliptical which are black on the lower half and grayish on the upper half. Vivillon has two black, circular hands, but no visible arms. It has a round, grayish head with large black eyes and a pair of skinny antenna._

Her wings had a pattern known as an Elegant. There were shades of pinks and purples as well as some oranges and yellows and reds.

"Aw! You're so beautiful!" Serena gushed over the Bug/Flying-type Pokémon.

Vivillon fluttered around the area and I smiled as Serena looked completely ecstatic.

Then a Pokémon came out of the brush to investigate what was going on.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Litleo, the Lion Cub Pokémon. The stronger the opponent it faces, the more heat surges from its mane and the more power flows through its body."**_

_Litleo are quadruped, feline Pokémon. They are mostly black in color with pale brown paws, ears, tail tip, and face. They have a short, rounded muzzle with a reddish orange nose and round ears. Their eyes are round with black irises and white pupils and sclera. Between their ears, there is a reddish orange tuft of fur. Each of their paws has three toes and a black paw pad. Their tail ends in a pointed, teardrop shape._

_In battle, its red bang radiates heat, and when up against a strong opponent, the temperature increases. When wild Litleo grow stronger, they leave the pack and begin to live alone. Litleo is a hot-blooded Pokémon that is quick to start fights._

"Hm… a Litleo," I said, looking at Froakie.

He looked up at me and nodded.

"Froakie, throw your Frubble so it doesn't escape!" I called out.

Froakie threw globs of the sticky bubbles on his neck and back, hitting the Litleo and trapping it.

"Now use Water Pulse!" I called out.

Froakie then threw a ball of pulsating water at the Litleo, dealing a lot of damage to it.

"PokéBrace, capture!" I called out, aiming the device at the Pokémon.

I then absorbed the Litleo into my PokéBrace and it was caught. My PokéBrace then told me some basic information about Litleo. It was a Fire/Normal-type, female, and knew Ember and Tackle.

"That thing is so cool," Serena said.

"Yeah," I agreed with her.

Suddenly a second Litleo came running out of the brush.

"_Why did you catch her_!?" it growled at me, revealing that it was a male.

"Uh oh. Looks like you caught her boyfriend," Spectra said.

The Litleo then fired an Ember at me.

"Vivillon, use Protect!" Serena called out.

Vivillon then flew in front of me and blocked the Ember with her protective barrier.

"Now use Gust!" Serena called out.

Vivillon flapped her wings, blowing a powerful gust that caused Litleo to slide back a bit. Litleo then became cloaked in fire and charged Vivillon, striking the Bug/Flying-type Pokémon.

"That was Flame Charge, now Litleo is even faster!" I told Serena.

Vivillon, however, went back up into the air as Litleo turned to use Flame Charge again. Vivillon then unleashed a spray of powder onto Litleo and the moment he caught fire for the Flame Charge, the powder exploded and dealt damage to him.

"What move was that!?" Serena questioned.

Spectra and I had no idea, but I aimed my PokéBrace to see what it could possibly be. Vivillon knew Gust, Protect, Poison Powder, and Powder. I then researched into Powder. It was a priority move, like Quick Attack, and when the opponent uses a Fire-type attack, the powder explodes and deals damage to the opponent.

"It's called Powder, it's to protect Vivillon from Fire-type attacks," I explained to Serena.

Serena nodded and looked at Vivillon.

"Use Gust!" she ordered.

Vivillon flapped her wings and unleashed a powerful wind that knocked Litleo out.

"Go Pokéball!" Serena called out, throwing a Pokéball at Litleo, catching the Fire/Normal-type Pokémon.

She ran over and picked the Pokéball up off the ground.

"I did it! I did it! I caught a Litleo!" she exclaimed excitedly.

I clapped my praise and so did Spectra. My stomach then began growling.

"It's time for lunch," I said.

"But we don't have enough food," Spectra pointed out.

"Wait, I know a nice Café in Santalune City we can all go to," Serena said as Fennekin sat at her feet and Vivillon landed on her head.

"Sounds like a good idea," I responded.

"Nero's buying!" Spectra called out suddenly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The three of us headed over to the Café Serena told us about and walked in. A waitress on rollerblades wheeled over to us.

"Where would you three like to sit?" she asked us.

"Somewhere where all our Pokémon can eat with us," I responded.

The waitress then got a good look at me and nearly fell back when she realized who I was.

"Nero Hishiro!? Champion of the Unova Region!? Hero of Truth!? Number Four of the World's Sexiest Pokémon Trainers!?" the waitress called out to me.

Serena and Spectra looked at me after the last thing the waitress called me. There was a pole for this stupid women's magazine and I was voted number four.

"Can we please get a table outside?" I asked the waitress.

"Oh of course!" she exclaimed, leading us through the Café.

Spectra tapped on my shoulder and I looked over my other one at her.

"Who were numbers three, two, and one?" she asked me, smiling deviously.

"Look. It. Up," I responded, turning back.

Serena looked at me as the waitress led us to an outdoor patio where we had enough room to bring out all our Pokémon. We took our seats and the waitress rolled away with our drink orders.

"Let's set the Pokémon up first," I said, sending out all my Pokémon.

Spectra and Serena sent out all of their Pokémon as well. They helped me set up bowls for each one and then we sat back down as the Pokémon ate.

Charizard sat down on the ground with his bowl of food in his hand and ate with the other. My Fennekin was sitting down between his legs, eating her food. Serena's Fennekin was over by Serena eating her food. Serena's and my Litleo were eating together and I deduced that they were an item similar to how Gallade and Gardevoir were an item. I then looked over to the Psychic/Fighting-type and Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon as they sat at a table and ate together.

"You have so many Pokémon, Nero," Serena told me.

"Yeah, and I can have them all with me thanks to this," I said, holding my PokéBrace up.

"That thing is so awesome," Serena responded.

"Yeah, it is," I agreed.

The waitress returned with our drinks and took our orders.

"So Serena, tell me about yourself?" I asked her.

She looked at me, blinking her gray eyes, and smiled slightly.

"Well my Mom was a world famous Rhyhorn racer and we moved here from Kanto when I was five. I graduated from Kalos Academy and Professor Sycamore sent my Starter Pokémon choices to my house on my birthday, which was two days ago," Serena said.

"Well happy belated birthday then," I said.

"Thanks Nero," Serena responded, blushing a little bit as she took a sip from her latte.

Spectra looked at the gaze Serena and I had with each other and smirked a little bit.

"So what is it you're wanting to do on your journey, Serena?" I asked her.

She paused for a bit and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she responded.

"Oh?" I questioned.

"Battling isn't my thing really," Serena said.

"You are good at it though," I responded.

Serena blushed a little more and smiled at me.

"I don't know… I don't like seeing my Pokémon get hurt," she responded.

I nodded, understanding what she meant.

"I get you. There have been times where I've had to rush my Pokémon to a Pokémon Center because they've gotten hurt in a battle," I told her.

Serena smiled a little bit and took another sip of her latte.

"Well sometimes it's good for you just to travel and make new friends with people and Pokémon," I said.

"Well I think I made some new friends today," Serena admitted, looking down at her latte and glancing up at me briefly.

I chuckled.

"You think?" I asked her.

"Right?" Serena asked me, feeling a bit worried.

"Friends," I responded, holding out my hand.

Serena smiled and shook my hand.

"Friends," Serena said, shaking my hand

"Sometimes it's bad to only think something," I told her.

"Coming from the guy who doesn't think," Spectra responded.

I aimed a kick from beneath the table and connected the toe of my boot to Spectra's shin, causing her to yelp. She glared daggers at me. Serena looked between us a bit concerned.

Then our waitress came with our food and placed our plates onto our table. Spectra didn't take her eyes off me as she took a bite out of her BLT. I smirked at my friend and then kicked her other shin. Spectra flinched with the pain and then glared at me even more.

"Alright, that's it," she growled, throwing her sandwich at me.

I ducked under it and Chespin used Vine Whip to pull the sandwich to him. I looked at Spectra only for her to splash her lemonade in my face. I blinked at her as the liquid dripped from my forehead. Serena looked between us and slowly began backing away from our soon-to-be food fight.

I picked up my burger and threw the bun that was slick with BBQ sauce at Spectra, hitting her in the face with it right where her silver hair lowered over her eye. The bun fell off her face and BBQ sauce stained her hair and face.

"You piece of crap," Spectra muttered, picking up some ketchup and mustard.

"Bring it on, Barefoot Bandit!" I called out, picking up a bottle of ranch.

Serena dove beneath a neighboring table as Spectra and I squirted each other with the condiments we picked up as weapons. I was covered with red and yellow from the ketchup and mustard while Spectra was covered in white from the ranch.

All of the Pokémon watched the food fight from a safe distance. Serena watched it from her spot beneath the neighboring table.

I threw my entire burger at Spectra, hitting her on the chest. Spectra then grabbed some of Serena's sandwich and threw it at me, hitting me in the face with it.

"Alright, stop!" Serena called out suddenly, coming out from beneath the neighboring table.

Spectra and I looked at her with various pieces of food in our hands.

"Please," she pleaded us.

I looked at Spectra and slowly lowered my hands. She responded with the same, not taking her eyes off me. I put the food in my hands on the ground and Spectra did the same.

"Good," Serena said, sighing in relief.

Our waitress then came out and looked at the mess we all made.

"Um… Could we have another of all our orders?" I asked her.

She nodded and backed away from the scene.

"Froakie, do you mind passing some of your Frubble to Spectra and me?" I asked him.

He shook his head and pulled some Frubble off his chest. Spectra and I grabbed the Frubble and used it to wipe down the area of the mess we made. We then grabbed some more Frubble and used it to clean our faces and clothes. It was an excellent cleaning substance.

Spectra then reached her hand down the front of her shirt and fished around for something. I turned away out of respect and Spectra then chuckled.

"What?" I asked her, turning back to her.

"There was a pickle in my bra," Spectra told me.

"Well, ain't that sexy," I responded, winking at Spectra.

She flipped me off and we sat back down now that the mess we made had been cleaned up. Serena cautiously sat down in her seat and looked between the two of us.

"You two are insane," she commented.

After lunch, Spectra left to go take a shower, feeling that there was still some ranch and BBQ sauce in her hair, so Serena and I took a walk around Santalune City together.

"Hey Nero…?" Serena asked me carefully.

"Yeah?" I asked her.

"Um… can you still go into your "other form"?" she asked me.

"No, I lost that ability when Reshiram was pulled from my body and returned to his physical form," I responded.

"Oh… Do you miss it?" she asked me.

I looked at her as we continued walking around the city just to pass time and sighed.

"I don't know… Honestly, I often think what could have been if I still had my powers… Maybe I would have been able to save Hilda…," I responded, pausing after I mentioned Hilda.

"Nero… I'm sorry," Serena apologized, turning to face me completely.

I looked at her and took a deep breath.

"It's okay," I responded, smiling at her.

I then noticed a roller blade rink and looked at Serena.

"Want to try?" I asked her.

"I don't know how," she responded.

"Doesn't mean you can't try," I replied, heading toward the rink

"And if I fall?" she asked.

I turned back to her.

"You get right back up," I responded, smiling at Serena.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Serena and I put our rented roller blades on and I entered the rink backwards, looking at Serena as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Easy does it," I told her as she made baby steps onto the rink.

"I think I got it," Serena said, taking a bigger step.

Her foot rolled right out from under her and she fell right into my arms.

"Not quite yet," I responded to her.

Serena looked up at me and blushed furiously. I helped her back to her feet and rolled around her as she watched.

"It's all about balance and momentum," I told Serena.

She watched me as I stopped moving my feet and let my momentum let me roll backward into the edge of the rink. I pushed off and rolled back over to Serena.

"Now you try," I told her.

Serena looked at me incredulously, but I just gave her a look. She sighed and moved her feet, waving her arms to keep balance. She moved in a much wider circle around me than I had done around her, but was getting the hang of it.

"Now stop moving your feet and let your momentum carry you!" I called out to her.

Serena stopped moving her feet and her momentum carried her across the rink straight for the edge. She didn't quite stop there, however, and went right over the edge wall of the rink.

"Serena!" I called out, rolling over to the edge wall where she had gone over.

I looked over and saw Serena lying on her back, looking up at the sky.

"Too much momentum," she told me.

Afterwards, Serena and I continued walking around Santalune City and eventually came up to a community center. There were flyers on the wall, detailing specific events that were going to be held soon and one caught my interest.

"Pokémon Contest, tomorrow, any aspiring Coordinator can sign up and compete in Contests all across the Kalos Region. Any Coordinator that has five Ribbons may then compete in the Kalos Grand Festival," I read off the flyer.

I then looked at Serena.

"I think this would be great for you," I told her.

"Oh?" she asked me.

"Yeah, you seem to be all about the cute and beautiful part in Pokémon. I've watched Pokémon Contests that were held in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and they were full of people who are all about that stuff," I told her.

"I don't know…," Serena responded, looking at me.

"I'm going to join because it sounds like fun," I told her.

Serena looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll join," she said.

Serena and I then walked over where the Pokémon Contest was being held and we approached a clerk behind a counter.

"Hello, we'd like to register for the Contest," I said.

"Please put your name, Trainer ID, and the two Pokémon you will be using for the Contest," the clerk-woman responded.

Serena and I filled out the information and we left the Contest Hall.

Serena then noticed a building next to the Pokémon Center.

"Ooh, a Boutique!" she exclaimed, running to the building.

I watched her run into the building and followed her in. It was a clothing store. I tried turning away to escape, but Serena grabbed onto my arm.

"Please help me," she told me.

"With?" I asked her.

"With picking out a pretty dress for the contest, of course!" Serena responded.

I sat on a bench outside of the dressing room. Serena had found a dress she wanted to try on. Lucky for me, a saleswoman had tagged along to help me.

"Thank you again for helping me," I told the saleswoman.

"Oh it's no problem at all, sir. You don't know how many husbands and boyfriends I've helped in this certain situation," the saleswoman responded.

"Oh, no we're just friends," I told the saleswoman.

She looked at me and smirked.

"Really? Well you two would be a cute couple," the saleswoman said.

I looked at the saleswoman and slightly shook my head at her comments.

Serena then came out with her first dress. It was a pink, frilly dress that ended just above her knees. The shoulders were poofy and there was a white ribbon that was wrapped around her waist. She twirled around, revealing a large white bow on the back of the dress.

"It's cute," I admitted.

"Yes, you look adorable in it," the saleswoman responded.

Serena smiled at us and then looked at herself in a mirror.

"Put a bow in your hair and it would complete the look," I said, walking up behind her.

Serena turned back to me and blushed a little bit.

"Alright, I'll pick this one," Serena said.

"Good choice, that'd be thirty-one hundred Pokédollars," the saleswoman said.

Serena looked a bit shocked at the price and I could tell from the disheartened look on her face that she didn't have enough money.

"Do you take checks?" I asked the saleswoman.

"Yes I do, I'll meet you at the register," the saleswoman said.

She then left and I saw Serena's surprised look on her face.

"Careful now, if you keep making that face your face might freeze," I told her.

"Nero… you don't have to buy me this dress," Serena said.

"Consider it a birthday present," I told her.

Serena then practically launched herself at me for a hug. I caught her around her waist with my right arm and she wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face into my shoulder.

"Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Serena exclaimed happily.

I laughed a little and she pulled away from our close embrace.

"You're welcome," I told her.

She looked up at me, her arms still around the back of my neck, and smiled. It was such a pretty smile too. I liked seeing it. I then noticed my arm was still on her waist and I pulled away.

"Well go take the dress off so you don't get it dirty," I told Serena.

She blushed a bit, also noticing we had been in an embrace for a few extra moments, and went back into the changing room to change back into her former attire.

Serena and I then went to the counter and I wrote a check to the saleswoman for the dress and a pair of matching heels Serena found. Serena and I then left the Boutique.

"So do you have a plan for your Contest debut?" I asked Serena.

"Oh, I got a thing or two up my sleeve," Serena responded.

"Any spoilers?" I asked her.

"Tut, tut, Mr. Hishiro, patience is a virtue," Serena told me, winking at me.

I chuckled and gently nudged her with my arm. Serena looked at me and nudged me back. I pushed her gently, catching her mid-step. Serena caught herself and looked at me, mouth open from her surprise.

"What?" I asked her innocently.

She narrowed her eyes at me and used both hands to try and pushed me back, but I refused to budge. Serena's feet then slipped out from under her, but I caught her hands, and prevented her from falling. I helped her to her feet and she smiled at me shyly.

"Thank you," she thanked me, blushing a bit.

"No problem. You're about as much of a klutz as my friend…," I was about to tell her about Bianca, but paused.

"Nero?" Serena questioned me.

I shook my head and smiled back at her.

"As my friend Bianca… she would trip over everything," I told her.

"Oh shush, I'm not that bad," Serena responded.

I chuckled and shook my head at Serena.

"Come on, let's go find something to do," I told Serena, walking off in one direction, though not heading toward anything in particular.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I was standing in the center of a meadow and I could only see mist around me.

Suddenly I saw a form approach me from the mist. It was Hilda. I tried making my way to her, but I was frozen in place as if an invisible force was holding me down. I tried yelling out Hilda's name, but no sound escaped from me.

I was dreaming. I knew I was dreaming. I closed my eyes tightly and woke up sitting up in a bed at my motel room. I looked around the dark room and then pinched and twisted the skin on my arm. I felt the pain that told me I was truly awake and not just entering another dream.

I sighed in relief and stood to my feet. I walked out onto the back balcony of my motel room and looked out at the night sky.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Serena asked me from her balcony.

I turned to face her and saw she was wearing a pair of pink sleepwear.

"Yeah," I responded.

"Me neither. I'm too excited for tomorrow," Serena said, looking up at the moon that illuminated the night sky.

I looked at her and smiled a little before climbing onto the wall that separated our balconies. I sat down on the top of it, letting my legs drop onto Serena's side.

"You're gonna be great. I know it," I told Serena.

She looked up at me and smiled. She then tried climbing up onto the wall to sit with me, but couldn't quite get up there.

"Here, I'll give you a boost," I said, dropping down.

I put my hands on either side of Serena's waist, causing her to blush a bit, and then lifted her up off the ground. I put her onto the wall and then climbed up on my own.

"Thanks," Serena said, her blush fading away.

"Sorry if I helping you made you feel helpless in any way," I said to Serena.

"No, it just made you look chivalrous," Serena said.

I smirked and thought how annoyed Gardevoir often gets when Gallade acts chivalrous.

"What's on your mind, Nero?" Serena asked me.

"Nothing," I responded.

"You got nothing on your mind?" Serena asked me.

"Well, I got everything on my mind to be honest," I told her.

"Well we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Serena responded.

I looked at Serena and smiled a little bit.

"Thank you. It's just some things I need to figure out on my own," I muttered.

Serena then put her hand on my shoulder and looked at me.

"Sometimes it's better to have friends to help you through these things," Serena told me.

She looked sad, like something was bugging her. I was starting to think she knew how to get past losing someone you care about. I was starting to think she lost someone she cared about.

"Serena, are you okay?" I asked her.

She looked at me and nodded, obviously fighting back tears.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got to go to bed. Tomorrow's the big day. Good luck, Nero," Serena said to me, kissing me on the cheek in a friendly way.

She dropped down from the wall and looked back at me over her shoulder.

"Good night, Nero," Serena told me.

"Night," I responded, nodding at her.

She went back into her motel room and closed the sliding door. I briefly touched the part of my cheek she had kissed and smirked before I too went back into my motel room to sleep.

I didn't have any nightmares for the rest of that night.

The next morning, I was standing outside with both Gardevoir and Froakie. I was going to use Gardevoir for the Appeal Round. She really knew how to present beauty into all of her moves. I was going to use Froakie in the Battle Round so that I could address his skills at a competitive level. Spectra was watching me practice with Gardevoir.

"I can't believe you're doing this right now, Hishiro," Spectra told me.

"You know you can still sign up, right?" I responded, ignoring her criticisms.

"Nah, I prefer focusing on one thing at a time," Spectra said to me.

"Fine, better be cheering us on," I told her.

"Meh, I guess," Spectra responded.

"You guess?" I questioned.

"I pulled a pickle out of my bra because of your little food fight," Spectra pointed out.

"_Our _food fight," I corrected her.

"Don't nitpick," Spectra said.

_(Page Break)_

An hour later, I was sitting in the Coordinator Room behind the stage. Several other Coordinators were prepping their various Pokémon for the Contest. I still hadn't seen Serena anywhere. I stood to my feet and walked into the dressing room. I saw Serena sitting at one of the stations, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Serena, we're about to start," I told her.

She looked at me.

"I know…," she responded hesitantly.

She got to her feet and brushed the front of her dress down. Her hair had done up a bit and she had a medium-sized pink bow in her hair that matched her dress.

"You look beautiful," I told her.

She smiled and blushed at my comment.

"Thanks," she responded.

I saw her look me up and down. I was wearing my usual attire. I'm not one for the whole dressing up thing.

"You look handsome," Serena said.

"Aw, and I didn't even have to dress up," I responded jokingly.

"Nero Hishiro, please come to the stage!" a voice called out through an intercom.

"Well here we go," I said, turning toward the exit.

"Nero!" Serena called after me as I started walking away.

I turned back.

"Yeah?" I asked her.

"Good luck," she told me.

"Thanks, you too," I said.

Serena smiled and I walked out of the Coordinator Room onto the stage. I was met with a round of applause from the audience.

"Gardevoir, time to show off!" I shouted, sending the Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon.

She appeared from my PokéBrace and looked up at the crowd.

"Use Misty Terrain!" I called out.

Thick light blue mist came out from Gardevoir's body and spread across the stage, adding a mysterious element to Gardevoir.

"Keep it up!" I called out.

More mist came out and Gardevoir was hidden from view.

"Now!" I called out.

Gardevoir then used Double Team suddenly, causing the mist to expand out onto the audience. Multiple copies of Gardevoir appeared on the stage in a circle around me.

"Now end it with Shadow Ball!" I called out.

All of the Gardevoir copies readied a ball of shadowy energy in their hands. They then fired the Ghost-type move up into the air toward the center of the circle directly above me. The multiple Shadow Balls collided and a violet firework-like display was the result twenty feet over me. I stood there motionless as shadowy particles fell around me. Gardevoir's Double Team faded and she stood right next to me. We looked at the audience who were in awe at the display and bowed toward them amidst the raining shadowy particles.

The audience went into a roar of applause as did the three judges. Gardevoir and I bowed once more and then walked off the stage together, walking into the Coordinator Room where the other Coordinators looked at me with envy. I guess a Gardevoir is Contest-bait. Serena ran over to me.

"Oh my God, Nero, that was so awesome and beautiful and…!" Serena gushed before I quieted her.

She blushed and giggled a little bit.

"Serena Grace, please come to the stage!" a voice called over the intercom.

I looked at her and smiled.

"You can do it, Serena," I told her.

She smiled and nodded. She then walked out onto the stage.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Serena readied her first Pokéball and sighed.

"Let's show them all what we're made of; go Fennekin!" Serena called out her Starter Pokémon.

I watched from inside the Coordinator Room as Serena had Fennekin fire Ember up in the air. It was a fiery display that turned into glowing bursts of energy.

"Now prepare a Flame Charge!" Serena called out.

I smirked, realizing that her Fennekin was working on that new move. Flames gathered around Fennekin's form and she shot straight up into the air like a rocket, leaving a flaming trail behind her. Fennekin's fiery comet then faded and she began descending back down to the ground amidst embers from the Flame Charge. Fennekin landed and she and Serena looked at the audience. They erupted into applause for the overall appeal. Serena let out a sigh of relief and smiled at the applauding crowd. She then returned Fennekin to her Pokéball and went back to the Coordinator Room. I stood there, smiling at her.

"You did great," I told her.

"Alastair, please come to the stage!" a voice said over the intercom.

A young man stood up from his seat and left out onto the stage without a word. Serena and I watched him from within the Coordinator Room.

"Dedenne, let us please the crowd," he said silently as he sent out his Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Dedenne, the Antenna Pokémon. Its whiskers serve as antennas. By sending and receiving electrical waves, it can communicate with others over vast distances.**_

_Dedenne is a round, small, orange mouse-like Pokémon, whose whiskers are in shape of antennas, which it uses to communicate with far-off allies. It has orange pouches on its cheeks that charge electricity, and its belly is a pale yellow. It has round black ears with light yellow insides, and a long black tail with a star-like tip. Its tail can absorb electricity from power plants or house outlets. It can then fire electricity from its whiskers._

"Oh my God, it is _so _cute!" Serena gushed over the Pokémon.

I rolled my eyes at Serena's outburst and she hit me gently on my arm. We then turned our attention back to Alastair and his Dedenne.

"Use Charm," Alastair ordered.

Dedenne swung his tail in front of his body and hugged it before smiling at the audience, who all gushed over the cute Pokémon.

"Aw!" Serena gushed as well.

"Now use Nuzzle," Alastair ordered.

Dedenne rubbed both of his cheeks and sparks shot out in all directions.

"Keep it up," Alastair said.

Dedenne kept rubbing his cheeks and soon all of the sparks gathered above him in the shape of a giant heart made out of electricity.

"And final," Alastair said.

Dedenne stopped and the electricity heart burst out in a shower of sparks. The audience roared in delight at the display. Even Spectra was impressed.

Alastair held out his arm as Dedenne ran up his body before resting on his hand. The Electric/Fairy-type Pokémon bowed to the crowd. Alastair then walked back into the Coordinator Room where Serena ran over to him.

"Mr. Alastair sir, that was so incredible," Serena gushed over him.

He looked a bit taken back by how upfront she was, but collected himself and smiled at her.

"Thank you, but please call me Alastair. What is your name, milady?" Alastair asked.

"Serena Grace… your Dedenne is _so cute_!" Serena exclaimed.

Dedenne looked at Serena and blushed, waving her off.

"Thank you, I noticed that as well, so we use it to our advantage during appeals," Alastair said.

"I can see that, how long have you been doing Contests?" Serena asked.

"Seven years, since I turned eighteen," Alastair said.

"Whoa…," Serena responded, feeling a bit intimidated to be in the presence of a veteran Coordinator.

"This is your first Contest isn't it, Serena?" Alastair asked.

She nodded.

"Well you and your Fennekin looked great out there, so you completed both parts of being a Coordinator," Alastair said.

Serena blushed and looked at the ground awkwardly.

"The Appeal Round is over, please look to the screen to see the four Coordinators who will be moving on to the Battle Round," the voice over the intercom said.

Everyone looked to the screens as the four Coordinators moving on were shown. Alastair, Serena, another Coordinator, and I were all moving on to the Battle Round.

"I did it!" Serena exclaimed, grabbing Alastair in a hug.

That surprised the veteran Coordinator. Serena soon realized what she was doing and backed away embarrassedly.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, looking to the ground.

Alastair smirked and lifted her chin up with three of his fingers.

"Do not apologize, I cannot blame you for being excited," Alastair said.

Serena blushed some more and I rolled my eyes at the two.

"The first two Coordinators who will be battling will be Nero Hishiro and Alastair Bonhomme," the voice said over the intercom.

Good, now I can show Mr. Smooth Talker up. Wait; why the fuck do I care?

"Maybe we'll meet in the finals, chérie," Alastair said to Serena, winking at her as he walked out onto the stage ahead of me.

"Hope so," Serena said under her breath as I walked by.

I looked at her and she blushed out of embarrassment.

"Um…," she responded, not knowing what to say.

I just walked on.

"In the Battle Round, you will have five minutes to deplete your opponents points from five hundred to as low as possible. A winner will be decided when time runs out, when a Coordinator's points are depleted to zero, or when a Coordinator's Pokémon can no longer battle!" the MC announced.

"Go Froakie!" I sent out my Pokémon.

"Go Masquerain," Alastair said calmly.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Masquerain, the Eyeball Pokémon. Its antennae have eye patterns on them. Its four wings enable it to hover and fly in any direction."**_

_Masquerain is a light-blue Pokémon with two pairs of rhombus-shaped wings. These wings allow it to fly in any direction, but it cannot fly if its wings are wet. Its head is shaped like an elongated teardrop with a pink face and round, black eyes with white pupils. It has a pair of large, pink and white antennae resembling a pair of angry eyes. These eyespots are used to intimidate its enemies. Rainy weather causes its antennae to become heavy and the eye patterns to appear droopy. It will shelter itself under trees or the eaves of houses to protect its wings and antennae from the rain. It lives on water's edge._

"Time… Starts… Now!" the MC called out.

"Froakie, use Water Pulse!" I called out.

Froakie jumped up in the air and fired the ball of water at Masquerain.

"Dodge it and use Silver Wind," Alastair responded.

Masquerain suddenly zipped sideways, allowing the Water Pulse to fly past. Masquerain's wings flapped, sending a cyclone of wind with crescents of silver energy within at Froakie. Froakie was hit and pushed back, but held on strong.

_Nero: 390_

_Alastair: 500_

I gritted my teeth.

"Use Ice Beam to slicken the stage," Alastair ordered.

Masquerain fired beams of ice down onto the stage, icing it over except for a small patch where Froakie was standing.

"Now use Signal Beam," Alastair ordered.

"Dodge it!" I called out.

Masquerain fired a beam of green energy down at Froakie, who jumped over it and was level to Masquerain.

"Now use Water Pulse!" I called out.

"Intimidate him with your wings," Alastair said.

Froakie prepared a Water Pulse, but Masquerain suddenly shot forward and used the "angry look" pattern on her wings to intimidate Froakie into not doing so.

_Nero: 350_

_Alastair: 480_

Froakie landed on the non-iced over patch and glared up at Masquerain.

"Knock him off his feet with Silver Wind," Alastair ordered.

Masquerain fired the cyclone with the silver crescents of energy down at Froakie, pushing him back onto the ice, causing him to slip.

_Nero: 240_

_Alastair: 480_

"Froakie, get up!" I called out.

Froakie slowly pulled himself to his feet, using his left hand to keep him steady.

"Use the ice to your advantage and slide beneath Masquerain before using Bubblebeam!" I called out.

Froakie suddenly jumped forward and slid on the ice beneath the Bug/Flying-type Pokémon before firing a flurry of bubbles up into Masquerain.

_Nero: 240_

_Alastair: 385_

"Masquerain, use Energy Ball, now," Alastair ordered.

"Frubble!" I called out.

Masquerain prepared a ball of verdant energy, but Froakie through the sticky Frubble from his chest, sticking to Masquerain's wings. The Bug/Flying-type Pokémon lost altitude and hit the iced stage.

_Nero: 240_

_Alastair: 300_

"Now go and use Quick Attack!" I called out.

Froakie dashed forward, using the ice to increase his speed, and slammed into Masquerain.

_Nero: 240_

_Alastair: 260_

"Thirty seconds left!" the MC announced.

"Last move, use Energy Ball now!" Alastair called out.

"Counter with Water Pulse!" I called out.

Masquerain fired the ball of verdant energy at Froakie who responded with a ball of water. The two attacks collided, but the Energy Ball pushed through and hit Froakie, knocking him out with the super effective move.

_Nero: X_

_Alastair: 260_

"Froakie is unable to battle; therefore, Nero Hishiro has been eliminated from the Santalune City Pokémon Contest! Alastair will be moving onto the finals!" the MC called out.

I gritted my teeth and picked Froakie up off the ground.

"_Sorry Nero_," he muttered.

"Don't worry about it. You did well," I said.

"Froakie wasn't the only one who did well, Nero Hishiro. You did well for your first Contest," Alastair said to me as he cleaned the Frubble from Masquerain's wings.

The Bug/Flying-type Pokémon then landed on his arm.

"Yeah, well Contests aren't my main drive," I responded with unintentional bitterness.

Alastair shrugged it off. I then walked off the stage and was confronted by Serena.

"I'm sorry you lost, Nero," she apologized to me.

"Yeah, oh well. Good luck to you," I responded before heading out of the Coordinator Room.

Serena looked at the direction I left in surprise.

"What's wrong with him?" Serena asked herself.

Soon enough, she was called onto the stage to face her opponent.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

I made my way to the Pokémon Center so I could heal Froakie. I walked into the building and was surprised to see Spectra sitting in the lobby.

"I thought you were watching the Contest?" I questioned.

"I was… until you lost," Spectra responded.

"You're not watching it to support Serena?" I asked.

"Nope, that's what you were for," Spectra responded.

She then looked at me with one eye closed and I then realized something. Serena was battling without any support. I felt guilty and Spectra saw it immediately.

"I'll get Froakie healed, you go support your girlfriend," Spectra said teasingly.

"She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends," I responded, handing Froakie over to Spectra.

"Whatever," Spectra replied, turning away from me.

I then headed out of the Pokémon Center and ran back to the Contest. I ran to the front row, but found that all the seats were taken.

"I need to sit there," I told a man.

"Fuck off, asshole," he responded.

I then handed him ten thousand Pokédollars and the man then got to his feet and walked away. I sat down in his seat directly behind the judges and saw that Serena was losing a hundred and fifty to three hundred and eighty. She was using Vivillon against her opponent's Swanna.

"Vivillon use Gust!" Serena cried out desperately.

"Dodge it and use Air Slash!" her opponent responded.

Swanna dodged the Gust and countered with Air Slash, dropping Serena's points to a mere sixty. She was on the verge of tears.

I then got to my feet and cupped my hands over my mouth.

"You can do it Serena!" I called out to her.

She looked over and saw me. She wasn't expecting me. She wiped away the tears and looked at Vivillon.

"Let's do this, Vivillon!" she called out.

The Bug/Flying-type nodded.

"Scald, Swanna!" Serena's opponent called out.

Serena then decided to do something risky.

"Use Powder!" Serena called out.

Before Swanna could fire the scalding hot water, Vivillon covered it with Powder. The moment the boiling hot water came out, the heat caused the powder to explode on Swanna, knocking it out.

"Swanna is unable to battle, therefore, Alexis has been eliminated from the Contest! Serena Grace will be moving on to face Alastair in the finals!" the MC called out.

Serena jumped in joy and hugged Vivillon. I met Serena in the Coordinator Room and that was where she practically jumped in my arms.

"You did well, Serena," I said to her.  
"She did more than well. Using Powder as a counter for Scald was clever," Alastair said.

"And lucky," Serena responded.

"But mostly clever," Alastair replied.

Serena then pulled away from me and looked at Alastair.

"Ready to go, Al?" Serena asked.

Alastair smirked.

"Anytime, chérie," Alastair responded, winking at Serena.

The two of them then walked out onto the stage to begin their battle. I watched from the doorway connecting the stage and the Coordinator Room.

The battle began.

"Use Poison Powder, Vivillon," Serena ordered.

"Counter with Ice Beam," Alastair countered.

Vivillon flapped purple particles at Masquerain who responded by freezing them.

_Serena: 470_

_Alastair: 500_

"Now use Signal Beam," Alastair ordered.

"Protect!" Serena called out in response.

Masquerain fired a beam of multicolored energy, but it was blocked by Vivillon's Protect.

_Serena: 470_

_Alastair: 470_

"Now use Tackle!" Serena called out.

Vivillon shot forward and collided with Masquerain.

_Serena: 470_

_Alastair: 430_

"Use Silver Signal Beam," Alastair ordered.

Masquerain fired another Signal Beam as well as a Silver Wind. The two attacks combined into a vortex of silver crescent-shaped energy and multicolored energy, hitting Vivillon hard as well as Serena's points.

_Serena: 230_

_Alastair: 430_

Alastair got extra points for using a beautiful combination move.

"Vivillon, you can do it… Use Protection Tackle!" Serena called out.

Vivillon suddenly shot forward and brought up the Protect around her before colliding with Masquerain with her own combination move.

_Serena: 230_

_Alastair: 270_

I was in awe at Serena's use of Protect as an offensive move instead of a defensive move, but she still behind and there was only thirty seconds left in the match.

"All out now, Masquerain. Signal Energy Ball!" Alastair called out.

Masquerain formed an Energy Ball and then fired a Signal Beam into it, pushing the Grass-type move along the stage. Serena tried to call out a counter, but it was too late. The combination move collided with Vivillon.

_Serena: 0_

_Alastair: 270_

"Serena's points have been depleted to zero, therefore, she has been eliminated! Alastair Bonhomme is the winner!" the MC called out.

Serena looked down at the ground sadly. Vivillon fluttered in front of her, looking at her Trainer apologetically.

"Oh Vivillon, it wasn't your fault… it was mine," Serena said.

As Alastair received his Ribbon for winning, I approached Serena, putting a comforting hand around her shoulders.

"Want to head out?" I asked her.

"No, let me congratulate Alastair," Serena responded.

Serena then approached the victorious Coordinator.

"Congratulations Alastair, you are a tough Coordinator," Serena said.

"So are you, Serena. You have what it takes to be a great Coordinator if you put all your heart into it," Alastair said.

"I don't know…," Serena responded.

"He's right. You almost won. You got to the final round of your first Contest. There will be plenty more along the way, Serena. You just got to keep on fighting," I told her.

Serena looked at me and nodded.

"Alright, I'll keep it up, and I will face _you _in the Grand Festival and I will beat you," Serena responded, turning to Alastair.

"Well, nothing personal chérie, but I'm not going to just let that happen. You've got to earn it," Alastair responded.

"Oh I will," Serena responded, looking at the veteran Coordinator with determination in her gray eyes.

_(Page Break)_

I couldn't sleep that night, so I decided to sit out on the balcony. I looked up at the night sky until I miraculously fell asleep.

_ I landed on the aircraft, but I was too late. I watched, heard, and felt as Ghetsis snapped Hilda's neck, killing her instantly right in front of me…_

_ I fell onto my face and Ghetsis rolled me over. He threw his sword aside and began choking the life out of me. _

"_It's time to kill you," he growled. _

_ I desperately tried to stop him from choking me, but he was too strong. I was going to die. _

_ Suddenly Ghetsis's sword came piercing through his chest from behind. We both looked at the blood covered blade as Ghetsis loosened his grip on me and fell off. I looked up at a bruised, battered, and bloodied Spectra. She was breathing hard from all that had happened and then helped me to my feet. _

_ I looked at Ghetsis as he pulled the sword out of him. He was bleeding profusely and lay on his back with his head hanging over the side of his aircraft. _

_ I then grabbed his sword and glared at him. _

"_Bianca… N… Hilda," I said. _

_ He looked at me strangely. _

"_Bianca… N… Hilda," I repeated. _

"_Bianca… N… Hilda," I repeated. _

"_Bianca… N… Hilda," I repeated. _

"_BIANCA! N! HILDA!" I yelled, hacking the sword into Ghetsis. _

"_BIANCA! N! HILDA!" I yelled, hacking the sword into Ghetsis. _

"_BIANCA! N! HILDA!" I yelled, hacking the sword into Ghetsis. _

_ Finally with one last hack, I decapitated the Leader of Team Plasma and watched as his head fell to the ground below…_

_ I dropped to my knees, letting go of the sword, and cried out in anguish. I clambered over to Hilda's dead body and scooped her up in my arms. I cried out in so much pain as I caressed her cold, lifeless face. _

"_Hilda… no… God, no… Please, not Hilda…," I sobbed onto her body._

I woke up with a start and it was now morning. Another damned nightmare.

I stood to my feet and looked over at the neighboring balcony. Serena was standing there, looking out to Santalune City. Something was strange though. She seemed to be frozen.

My eyes widened and I threw myself off the balcony in order to wake myself up. I woke up in the outside chair and fell over, hitting the balcony hard.

Serena came running out of her motel room and looked over the wall at me.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"Yeah, just fell out of bed," I said, getting to my feet.

Then Spectra came running out of her motel room on the other side of me.

"Another nightmare?" Spectra asked me.

"Nightmare?" Serena questioned.

"It's nothing," I said, waving her off.

Suddenly I woke up for the third time. Spectra was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Nero!" she screamed at me.

"What!?" I asked her frantically.

I then looked at my fingers and they were covered in blood.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked Spectra.

She pointed at the wall that separated mine and her motel balconies. Written in blood on the wall was "wake up" about a dozen times.

"Who's blood is it?" I asked.

"Yours," Spectra said.

She then held a mirror to my face and blood covered everywhere below my nose.

Just when I thought I was getting ahead of these nightmares, it turns out they are just getting worse.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"You need to go see a doctor," Spectra insisted as I headed toward the Santalune City Gym.

"No, it was just a nosebleed," I responded.

"And you wrote with the blood from that nosebleed. There's something psychologically wrong with you, Nero," Spectra said.

"No. I'm fine," I insisted.

"Nero!" Serena called over to us, running over.

"Good morning, Serena," I greeted her.

"Morning to you and Spectra," Serena responded.

"I… got to go make a phone call," Spectra said, walking away.

"What? You're not gonna cheer me on?" I asked Spectra.

"Go Nero! Woo! Go Nero, go!" Spectra cheered as she walked away.

"What's got her panties in a twist?" Serena asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Mind cheering me on?" I asked her.

"Not at all, you cheered me on. Might as well return the favor," Serena said, winking at me.

I smirked and we walked into the Santalune City Gym.

Inside was a gallery of various Bug-type Pokémon. I've seen some of them, but haven't seen the others.

"Wow these photos are great," Serena commented.

"Thank you," a young woman about a year older than me responded, walking from the back room of the Gym.

She had short blonde hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a white tank top with a pink ribbon wrapped around her waist, dark green cargo shorts, black and green boots, and had a large camera around her neck.

"My name is Viola, I'm the Santalune City Gym Leader," the young woman introduced herself.

"My name is Nero Hishiro," I introduced myself.

"Serena Grace," Serena introduced herself.

"Wait, Nero Hishiro?" Viola questioned, running over to me.

"Yeah…," I responded.

"Hero of Truth, Unova Champion, fourth sexiest male Pokémon Trainer," Serena added my titles.

I gave her a look and then Viola began taking various pictures of me.

"What are you doing here?" Viola asked me.

"I'm challenging the Kalos League," I responded.

"Really? Adding more titles now?" Viola asked.

"I guess, so want to battle?" I asked Viola.

"Of course!" Viola exclaimed, running to the back room.

Serena and I stood there awkwardly and then Viola looked back at us.

"Come on!" she called back to us.

We walked into the back room and it was revealed to be a grassy battlefield. A robotic referee hovered to the side and a set of bleachers stood on the other side.

"Good luck," Serena said to me, walking over to the bleachers.

"Thanks," I responded.

I stood on my side of the battlefield and Viola stood on hers.

"The Gym Battle between the Santalune City Gym Leader, Viola, and the challenger Nero Hishiro will now commence! It will be a two-on-two Gym Battle with substitutions being allowed for the challenger only! The challenger may choose his first Pokémon!" the referee called out.

I aimed my PokéBrace and sent out Flabébé. The Fairy-type Pokémon floated in the air in front of me.

"Hm, a Fairy-type eh? Alright, let's go Surskit!" Viola called out her first Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. They usually live on ponds, but after an evening shower, they may appear on puddles in towns."**_

_Surskit is a blue insectoid Pokémon. Its body is round and has four long, skinny legs extending from it. It secretes oil from the tips of its feet, which enables it to walk on water as if it were skating. It has a yellow cap with a single antenna that can secrete thick, sugary syrup or a sweet scent. The syrup is exuded when danger is sensed, while the scent is used to attract prey. Its eyes are dark and circular, and have small semicircular pink markings under them. It is known to inhabit ponds, rivers, and similar wetlands, where is feeds on microscopic, aquatic organisms._

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Flabébé, use Fairy Wind!" I called out.

"Dodge it Surskit!" Viola responded.

Flabébé brought her white flower in front of her and emitted a pink wind toward Surskit, who dodged with surprising speed.

"Now use Aqua Jet!" Viola called out.

Surskit's legs emitted water and it shot off across the battlefield toward Flabébé, jumping up and slamming into her. She hit the battlefield, bounced once, and rolled to my feet.

"Flabébé, are you okay?" I asked the tiny Fairy-type Pokémon.

She looked up at me and nodded before gaining altitude again.

"Good, now use Razor Leaf!" I called out.

Flabébé created a flurry off leaves with a swipe of her flower and shot them off at Surskit with a flick of her flower.

"Dodge them!" Viola called out.

Surskit skated across the battlefield and dodged each leaf.

"Use Tackle!" I called out.

Flabébé suddenly shot down toward Surskit, hitting the Bug/Water-type Pokémon.

"You're good, Nero," Viola said.

"Well I am the Champion," I responded, smirking at the Gym Leader.

Suddenly I saw a shadow move out from the corner of my eye. I turned in the direction, but saw nothing.

"Surskit, use Signal Beam!" Viola called out.

"What!?" I exclaimed questioningly as I regained my attention on the battle.

Surskit fired a multicolored beam from its antenna, hitting Flabébé. She hit the ground once more, but got back up into the air.

Serena saw how I had fazed out a bit and looked at me worriedly. Flabébé saw it too.

"_Are you okay, Nero_?" Flabébé asked me.

"Yeah," I responded quickly.

I then saw the shadow run in my peripheral, causing me to look in that direction again. This time, however, I saw Hilda standing in the far corner of the battlefield.

"Hilda…," I muttered under my breath, walking over where I saw her standing.

"Nero?" Serena questioned, getting to her feet.

"Hey, we have a battle going on!" Viola called out, not understanding what was going on.

"Nero… come with me…," Hilda said to me.

"Okay," I responded.

She then began walking out of the Gym. I followed her.

"Nero Hishiro has surrendered! The winner is Viola!" the robotic referee called out.

"Nero!" Serena called after me as Flabébé floated by her head.

"What's wrong with him?" Viola asked.

"I don't know…," Serena responded, looking in the direction I walked off in.

"Well let's follow him. Something's definitely wrong with him. We got to make sure he doesn't get hurt," Viola said, running off.

Serena nodded to no one in particular and followed the Gym Leader.

_(Page Break)_

Spectra was standing behind the Pokémon Center with her cell phone in her hand. A hologram of N was standing from the phone's screen.

"No, you're not listening to me, N! He wrote "wake up" with his _own_ blood while he was _sleeping_!" Spectra exclaimed to N.

"Calm down," N responded.

"Don't fucking tell me to fucking calm down, fucker!" Spectra snapped, causing N to flinch.

"Sorry…," N responded, trying not to piss Spectra off anymore than she already is.

"Just find Reshiram, or Zekrom, or even Kyurem. I think Nero's nightmares and declining psychosis is apart of that," Spectra said.

"How? I'm not going through anything like that," N pointed out.

"Just… please," Spectra pleaded with her boyfriend.

"I will. Keep an eye on Nero though, he might not be well even though he is awake," N said.

"I will, good luck N. Be safe, love you," Spectra said.

"Love you too," N responded, hanging up.

Spectra hung up on her line and rested against the back of the Pokémon Center, sliding to the ground.

She then saw me walk past her.

"Nero?" Spectra questioned, getting to her feet, but I just ignored her.

"Spectra, something's wrong with Nero," Serena said, running over to her with Viola close behind.

"What happened?" Spectra asked.

"He just walked out of the Gym without a word in the middle of his Gym Battle," Serena said.

"Shit, well let's go follow him," Spectra said, running after me with Serena and Viola close behind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Hilda led me out of Santalune City and then took off in a run.

"Come on!" she shouted back at me.

I took off in a run after her. Spectra, Serena, and Viola saw me start running after nothing and ran after me.

"Nero!" Spectra called out to me.

I didn't hear them, but ran after Hilda. Unbeknownst to me, my nose had started bleeding, leaving a trail of blood droplets behind me. Serena saw the blood and stopped.

"He's hurt!" she called out to Spectra and Viola.

Spectra turned back and looked at the blood.

"No, it's just a nosebleed," Spectra said.

"How do you know?" Viola asked.

"He had a bad one this morning," she responded.

I ran out onto Détourner Way with my nose bleeding even more.

"Nero!" I managed to hear Serena call out to me.

I stopped in the middle of Détourner Way and Hilda stopped as well. She turned back to me and smiled.

"Come on, Nero, we're almost there," she said to me.

"No… you're dead… This is a dream!" I shouted at her.

"Why are you yelling at me, Nero?" Hilda responded, looking hurt.

"Don't play me… You're not real… You're not real," I responded, closing my eyes.

Tears fell and mixed with the blood staining the lower half of my face.

"Nero… I heard someone say softly.

I looked back and saw Serena approaching me cautiously. She looked surprised at the amount of blood on my face.

"Nero… It's okay," she told me.

She then looked down at the ground in front of me and widened her eyes. I looked down and I saw that in my blackout, I had written "It's just a dream" with my blood.

"No, it's not okay… I'm going fucking insane," I told Serena, dropping to my knees.

Serena knelt down beside me and wrapped her arm around me.

"You're not going insane. You're just…," Serena said before pausing.

"Just what!?" I asked angrily, pushing Serena away.

I got to my feet and glared at her as she looked up at me.

"Good… keep it up Hero," a familiar voice said to me.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I shouted, looking in every direction.

My eyes then turned blue and steam rose from them. Serena looked at me concernedly as steam rose from my hands as well. Spectra saw this too and ran over to Serena.

"Move away, now!" she shouted at Serena, dragging her away.

"Kill them, Nero. Kill them… Kill them… KILL THEM!" the voice shouted at me.

"NO!" I shouted in response, breathing a stream of blue fire from my mouth straight up into the air.

"Holy shit!" Serena exclaimed.

All of my Pokémon forced their way out from my PokéBrace and stood protectively in between Spectra, Serena, and Viola and me. I fired twin streams of fire from my hands, lifting myself up into the air.

"Burn them all, burn them all," the voice said.

Ghetsis then appeared behind me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Kill them Nero… KILL THEM LIKE YOU KILLED ME!" Ghetsis shouted.

I snapped. My mind broke right there. All the mental strain I was going through for the past couple of months had pushed me too far. I stopped shooting fire from my mouth and knuckles and steam slipped out of my mouth, eyes, ears, nose, and knuckles. I fell to the ground with a thud and didn't move anymore.

"Nero!" Spectra screamed, running over to me.

I looked up at the sky with blank eyes. Spectra checked my pulse, and sighed in relief.

"He's alive… but he's unconscious!" Spectra called out.

"What the hell just happened!?" Serena asked.

"He… He still has the powers from when he was the Hero of Truth, but why?" Spectra questioned.

"Because he is still attached to Reshiram!" N called out as he came down onto Détourner Way on Reshiram

Serena and Viola backed away, intimidated by the Legendary Pokémon. Reshiram landed and N dropped down.

"Tell them what you told me," N said.

"_When Nero and I separated, a piece of me was left in his mind. That piece damaged his psyche and left it vulnerable. One Hilda unfortunately died, Nero's psyche broke and that is why he has been experiencing the nightmares and hallucinations_," Reshiram explained through telepathy so everyone could understand him.

"Then how do we fix him?" Serena asked, looking up at Reshiram.

"_Once one's psyche is broken, it cannot be fixed_," Reshiram revealed.

"So he is gonna have to keep going through these episodes, the nightmares, everything?" Spectra asked, her voice choking up.

"_No… If I were to join with Nero once more, I could block his psyche like a dam to a river and prevent the nightmares, the hallucinations, everything from happening to him_," Reshiram said.

"But… But then you wouldn't be in your physical form anymore," Spectra said.

"_That is true… I would not only have to sacrifice my physical form, but I would have to sacrifice my entire being in order to perform this_," Reshiram said.

"So in order for Nero to be okay, you would have to die?" Serena asked.

Spectra looked up at Reshiram for confirmation. The Legendary Pokémon nodded.

"He needs to be conscious though for me to do this. An electrical shock should do it," Reshiram said.

Spectra stood to her feet and sent Sparx out. Serena was shocked in seeing a white Pikachu.

"Sparx, use Thunderbolt," Spectra ordered.

Sparx nodded and electrocuted me back into consciousness. I looked around, seeing Serena, Spectra, N, Viola, all my Pokémon, and then Reshiram.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"_Nero Hishiro… you truly are a hero… and you do not deserve what you've had to go through. I am truly sorry for what has happened in your life and what you've been having to go through recently_," Reshiram said to me.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked.

Reshiram then told me what he had told the others. He then paused and told me what he was planning to do about it.

"No! Don't you sacrifice your life for me!" I shouted, getting to my feet.

I stumbled a bit and both Serena and Spectra caught me. I pushed my way past them and looked at the Dragon/Fire-type Legendary Pokémon.

"I don't want anyone sacrificing their life for me," I said.

"You'd do it for one of us," Spectra pointed out.

"BUT I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU DOING IT FOR ME!" I shouted.

"Nero…," Serena said, trying to calm me down.

"I don't want anyone else to die…," I said before breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.

I felt someone embrace me and I looked to see that it was Serena.

"This is the only way, Nero… It's either this or you're going to go insane and _then_ you will die," Serena told me.

"_She is right_," Reshiram said.

"But…," I responded.

I looked at everyone and they looked at me grim. It was a bad situation that was needed in order to fix a worse one. I then looked at Reshiram.

"I'm sorry…," I apologized to him.

He looked surprised that I was apologizing to him.

"_Nero…_," he responded.

"I'm sorry you have to die so I can live… I wish there could have been some other way. I understand and I accept it, but I wish there could have been some other way," I said as more sobs came through.

Reshiram nodded. I looked at him one more time and then nodded as well.

Reshiram closed his eyes and was enveloped in a white light. I pulled out of Serena's embrace and Reshiram turned into a small ball of light. I closed my eyes and the ball of white light phased through my chest.

I opened my eyes and fell to my knees, sobbing some more.

"No… I'm sorry Reshiram…," I muttered under my breath past the sobs.

That night, I slept the best I've had in months. Sadly a friend of mine had to sacrifice his life so I would be able to do so.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

I woke up the next morning without having a single dream. I stood to my feet and looked out at pre-dawn sky. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cool glass that made up the sliding door that separated the balcony from my hotel room.

_(Page Break)_

I stood on my side of the battlefield and Viola stood on hers. It was time for our rematch and finally time for me to earn my first Badge for the Kalos Region. Spectra and Serena were watching from the bleachers and the referee gave the details for the match.

"Give me your best Flabébé," I said, sending the Fairy-type Pokémon out.

"Alright, let's go Surskit!" Viola called out her Pokémon.

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Use Aqua Jet!" Viola called out.

Surskit shot forward with a burst of water that came from its legs.

"Use Fairy Wind to dodge and counter with Razor Leaf," I responded calmly.

Flabébé aimed her flower at the ground and fired the pink wind that blew her upwards, out of Surskit's reach, and then fired the flurry of leaves downward with a swipe of her flower. They barraged Surskit, dealing a massive amount of damage.

"Trap Flabébé with Sticky Web!" Viola called out.

Surskit looked up and fired a glob of webbing upward, hitting Flabébé and sticking her to the ceiling of the Gym. Her flower fell to the ground. I gritted my teeth, but took a deep breath and returned Flabébé to my PokéBrace. Her flower was also absorbed as well since it was apart of her.

"Show me what you got Fennekin," I said, sending the Fire-type out.

Spectra shook her head at my choice.

"Fennekin's a bad matchup. Surskit has speed as well as Aqua Jet," she muttered under her breath.

"Use Aqua Jet!" Viola called out.

Surskit shot forward, leaving a trail of water behind it.

"Dodge it," I said calmly.

Fennekin jumped over Surskit at the last second.

"Now use Ember," I said.

Fennekin fired the small balls of fire onto Surskit, dealing more damage.

"Trap it with Sticky Web!" Viola called out.

Surskit quickly recovered from the Ember and fired another glob of webbing, hitting Fennekin as she hit the ground. She struggled to get out of the webbing and was at the mercy of Surskit.

"Aqua Jet, repeatedly!" Viola ordered.

Surskit shot forward, hitting Fennekin repeatedly from all directions.

"Fennekin! Use Flame Charge!" I called out.

Fennekin suddenly burst into flames, burning away the Sticky Web, and charged forward. She collided with Surskit and knocked it out.

"Surskit is unable to battle!" the referee called out.

Viola was shocked at the sudden change in the battle. She returned Surskit to its Pokéball and readied her final Pokémon.

"Make me proud, go Vivillon!" she called out, sending out the Bug/Flying-type Pokémon.

Her Vivillon had a Meadow pattern on its wings, so they were pink, purple, white, and green.

"Can you keep it up, Fennekin?" I asked her.

"_Yeah, I'm just getting warmed up_," she responded.

I smirked at her pun and nodded.

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Fennekin, use Scratch!" I called out.

Fennekin jumped up and slashed Vivillon with her claws, dealing some damage.

"Blow her back with Gust!" Viola called out.

Vivillon flapped her wings, emitting a powerful gust of wind that blew Fennekin into the far wall.

"End it with Psychic," Viola ordered.

Vivillon then telekinetically pulled Fennekin from the wall and then slammed her back into it, knocking her out.

"Fennekin is unable to battle!" the referee called out.

I gritted my teeth and returned her to my PokéBrace.

"Alright… Let's go Flabébé!" I called out, sending the Fairy-type Pokémon back out.

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Flabébé, use Fairy Wind!" I ordered.

"Counter with Gust!" Viola responded.

Flabébé fired the pink wind from her flower and it was met halfway to its intended target by Vivillon's Gust.

"Tackle!" I called out.

Flabébé used the conflicting winds to propel herself forward and collided with Vivillon.

"Use Solarbeam!" Viola called out.

Vivillon began bringing in solar energy.

"Razor Leaf!" I called out.

Flabébé swiped her flower through the air and fired the leaves, hitting Vivillon.

"Fire!" Viola called out.

Vivillon fired the beam of solar energy, engulfing Flabébé with it. She hit the back wall and slid to the ground.

"Flabébé!" I called out to her.

She struggled to pull herself back into the air.

"Come on, you can do it… You can do it!" I called out.

Flabébé's eyes shot open and she formed a ball of verdant energy in front of her before firing it forward. It hit Vivillon in the face, and knocked the Bug/Flying-type Pokémon back a bit.

"Was that… Energy Ball?" I asked.

"_Yep, now let's do this_!" Flabébé called out, shooting forward.

I nodded in agreement.

"Now use Tackle!" I called out.

Flabébé flew forward and hit Vivillon hard.

"Gust!" Viola responded.

"Counter with Fairy Wind!" I called out.

Vivillon recovered from the Tackle and flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that was blocked by Flabébé's Fairy Wind.

"Now use Razor Leaf!" I called out.

"Deflect them with Psychic!" Viola responded.

Flabébé swiped her flower in front of her and sent the leaves at Vivillon, who telekinetically threw them aside with Psychic.

"End this with Energy Ball!" I called out.

Flabébé fired the ball of verdant energy from her flower, hitting Vivillon dead on. The Bug/Flying-type Pokémon fell out of the sky, hitting the ground, and did not get back up. She had been knocked out.

"Vivillon is unable to battle; Viola is out of usable Pokémon, therefore, Nero Hishiro is the winner!" the referee called out.

I let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Flabébé as she shot around my head excitedly.

"You did great, little one," I said, poking the Fairy-type with my index finger.

"Wow that was incredible!" Viola exclaimed.

I looked over at her as she hastily brought her camera out to take my picture. I chuckled and did some poses.

"Here is your Badge, Nero, it's the Bug Badge," Viola said, handing me my Badge.

"Thank you," I responded, taking the Badge.

It looked like a beetle. I brought Fennekin out from my PokéBrace and she, Flabébé, and I posed for one last picture with my newly won Badge.

_(Page Break)_

Afterwards, I treated everyone out to lunch at the café. While Spectra fed all the Pokémon, Serena and I were looking at my new Badge.

"It's nice," Serena pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's mine," I said.

Serena smiled and then looked away a bit.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah… it's just, well… since you've won your Badge now, I guess you're gonna be leaving now," Serena said.

"Not quite yet, Smelly Foot over there still has to win her Badge," I said.

"Bite me Nero," Spectra responded.

"You'd like that too much," I responded.

"I… yeah, I would actually," Spectra responded, chuckling as she sat back down.

"You two are such a cute couple," Serena said.

Spectra and I looked at each other and then back at Serena.

"We're not a couple!" we both exclaimed in unison.

"You're not? I'm sorry, you two just seem really close," Serena responded.

"I'd never date someone so repulsive," Spectra went on.

That earned a glare from me.

"Oh and you're such a prize, klepto," I responded.

"Egomaniac," Spectra said.

"I'm an egomaniac?" I asked.

"Yes, yes you are," Spectra said.

"You know what? I think Serena is on to something. Maybe you do have a thing for me, you are quick to take my pants off after all," I said.

Spectra glared at me and dumped her shake onto my head. She then grabbed a French fry and scooped some of the shake off my cheek and ate it nonchalantly.

"Why would I go for you, when I got N?" Spectra asked.

"Speaking of N, where is he?" I asked, grabbing a napkin to try cleaning the shake off my face.

"I don't know. I think he was wandering around Santalune City," Spectra said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," I muttered sarcastically.

Serena suddenly grabbed a cherry off the top of my head and ate it. I looked at her incredulously.

"What? I like cherries," she responded, blushing a little bit.

"So, Serena, do you want to come with N, Spectra, and I on our journey?" I asked her.

Her eyes widened at my question.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"You want me to come with you?" Serena asked.

"Well considering I'm going to be going the rest of the way through Kalos with Spectra and N, I _need _you to come with us," I said.

"I'll add hot coffee to that shake, Hishiro," Spectra responded, glaring daggers at me.

I ignored her.

"We can get you your own tent in case we end up having to stay the night on the Routes, because you probably don't want to bunk with me and Spectra will be… busy sharing a tent with N," I said.

"Won't I get in the way?" Serena asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"With my whole Contest thing, won't that get in the way of your Gym battles?" Serena asked.

"No, it'll be a nice addition," I responded.

"Well I want to come with if everyone wants me to come with," Serena said.

She and I then looked at Spectra.

"I'm game, I got a new victim… err… pal to play with," Spectra said, smiling wickedly.

"Don't worry about her, I'll tighten her leash," I said.

I heard Spectra growl behind me and chose to ignore it.

"Alright, two down one to go," Serena said.

"Yeah, all we need to do is to get N's approval and I got a new friend to travel with," I said.

Serena giggled.

"Did someone say my name?" N asked, walking out of the café to where we were all sitting.

He looked at all of our Pokémon eating alongside us and smiled.

"Ah, I love seeing scenes like this. People and Pokémon coexisting so peacefully," N said.

"Is he on drugs or something?" Serena whispered the question to me.

I nearly choked on my stifled laughter. I cleared my throat and shook my head to Serena's question.

"Hey N, this is Serena Grace. Serena, this is N," I said, introducing both of them to each other.

"Hello," N greeted Serena.

"Hi there," Serena responded.

"Serena wants to ask you something," I said.

Serena gave me a look for somewhat throwing her into the conversation.

"Oh? Well ask away then, Ms. Serena," N said.

"I wanted to come along on your guys' journey, but I'd like to have the approval from all three of you," Serena said.

"And I was the final one?" N asked.

Serena nodded. N looked at her and then nodded.

"Okay, you can come with us," N said.

"Yay!" Serena exclaimed loudly, getting to her feet.

She suddenly lost her footing and fell backwards. The four of us then laughed at Serena's expense.

_(Page Break)_

The next day, Spectra challenged Viola in order to earn her Gym Badge. Using Azure and Sparx, Spectra defeated Viola and earned her Bug Badge. We then stocked up on Pokémon food, human food, and supplies for the both of us.

The four of us then stood on the edge of Parterre Way. We had to go back up to Lumiose City and then head west through Versant Road.

"Are you all ready?" I asked.

"I am," Serena said, standing on my left.

"Same here," Spectra said, standing on my right.

N stood on the other side of Spectra and nodded.

We then began walking away from Santalune City.

_(Page Break)_

Two hours of walking led us to Lumiose City. Serena was amazed at the size of the city.

"Wow," she said, looking around.

She then saw a Boutique and ran straight for it.

"Oh dear God… clothes shopping," Spectra muttered, resting her forehead in the palm of her hand.

"Maybe we can find you some nice shoes," I teased as I walked over to the Boutique as well.

"I don't _wear _shoes!" Spectra snapped, running after me.

N just followed, silent as ever. Serena ran into the Boutique, but a saleswoman stopped her. She looked Serena up and down and then shook her head.

"No, you're simply not as stylish as you can be. You will not be allowed to shop here," the saleswoman said.

Serena looked offended and disheartened by the woman's words. I had heard them too and I stormed straight up to the woman.

"What the hell is your problem? Saying that she can't shop here because "she's not stylish enough"?" I questioned the saleswoman.

She took a step back, a bit taken by surprise by my sudden aggressiveness.

"Sir…," the saleswoman tried responding, but I didn't let her.

"You know what, to hell with your little Boutique. Everything in here looks like shit anyways!" I snapped at the saleswoman.

I grabbed a shocked Serena's hand and dragged her out of the Boutique, flipping the saleswoman off as we left.

"Whoa…," Serena said as I let her go.

"Yeah, I hate all that superficial horseshit. You are stylish Serena. In your own way, so fuck that woman," I said.

Serena smiled and Spectra and N ran over to us.

"What happened just now?" Spectra asked.

"Oh, nothing," I said.

"Yeah, nothing. Hey, can we go see Professor Sycamore? I wanted to thank him for giving me Fennekin," Serena said.

"I'm game. What about you two?" I asked Spectra and N.

"I haven't met the Professor, but I will tag along," N said.

"I guess," Spectra said, shrugging her shoulders.

We walked along South Boulevard in Lumiose City and eventually came up to Professor Sycamore's Lab. We walked into the Lab and saw Professor Sycamore working with three young Pokémon. I recognized Charmander as being one of them.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. It shelters itself in its shell, and then strikes back with spouts of water at every opportunity."**_

_Bulbasaur is a small, quadruped Pokémon with green or bluish green skin and dark patches. Its thick legs each end with three sharp claws. Its eyes have red irises, while the sclera and pupils are white. Bulbasaur has a pair of small, pointed teeth visible when its mouth is open. It has a bulb on its back, grown from a seed planted there at birth. The bulb provides it with energy through photosynthesis as well as from the nutrient-rich seeds contained within._

_Squirtle is a small Pokémon that resembles a light blue turtle. It has large brown eyes and a slightly hooked upper lip. Each of its hands and feet has three pointed digits. The end of its long tail curls inward. Its body is encased by a tough shell that forms and hardens after birth. This shell is brown on the top, pale yellow on the bottom, and has a thick white ridge between the two halves._

"Well hello Nero and Spectra," Professor Sycamore greeted us.

He then looked at N.

"N," N introduced himself.

"N," Professor Sycamore repeated, nodding at the teal-haired young man.

He then looked at Serena and nodded.

"Serena Grace, I see you've made it to Lumiose City," Professor Sycamore said.

Serena smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'm traveling with them," Serena said.

"Ah, a journey is so much better when you're traveling with others," Professor Sycamore said.

Suddenly two more Trainers came running into the Lab. Serena looked back at the door and saw her neighbors Shauna and Calem.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"What are you doing here?" Calem asked Serena snidely.

Serena glared at him and turned away.

"Still cry when you lose?" Calem asked, prodding Serena even further.

This time, I stepped in front of Serena and glared at Calem. He returned my glare with a glare of his own. Spectra smirked at the scene and looked at N.

"Another jackass that needs to get his ass beat," Spectra said to N.

N shook his head and then stepped in between Calem and me.

"Let's all go into the back Pokémon area for some lunch," he said, trying to ease the situation.

He looked at me mostly, knowing he could calm me down easier than he could with Calem since he just met the Trainer. I nodded, taking a breath to calm down.

"Good idea, N," I said, turning away from Calem.

I looked at Professor Sycamore.

"Mind if we have lunch in your back area?" I asked.

"Not at all, let me just talk to Serena, Calem, and Shauna," Professor Sycamore said.

He then turned to the three newer Trainers.

"Now, I have gifts for three of you," he said.

"Yay! Presents!" Shauna exclaimed with glee.

He then looked down at the three Kanto Starters at his feet.

"You may take one of these Pokémon that has the type-advantage to your Starter Pokémon," Professor Sycamore said, handing over Pokéballs to Serena, Calem, and Shauna.

Shauna looked at Charmander and gushed over the Fire-type.

"Aww! We're gonna be best friends!" she exclaimed.

Charmander growled excitedly and nodded. Shauna returned it to its Pokéball.

Calem stepped forward and studied Bulbasaur. He then returned it to its Pokéball without another word.

Serena looked at Squirtle, but the Water-type Pokémon cowered back into its shell.

"Ha! Figured she'd get a cowardly Pokémon!" Calem laughed.

I stepped forward once more to kick this guy's ass, but N put a hand on my shoulder.

"How about you and me battle, huh hotshot?" I asked Calem.

"And who the hell are you?" Calem asked me.

I smirked.

"Nero Hishiro, the Champion of Unova," I said, brandishing my PokéBrace.

Calem looked a bit taken back that he had pissed off a Champion, but wasn't going to back down from a battle.

"Alright, you're on," Calem said.

We all walked into the back area and Serena approached me.

"Nero, you don't have to defend me. He's just a jerk," Serena said.

"Yeah, but sometimes you need to put these jerks in their place," I said, readying my PokéBrace.

I then sent Garchomp out. I figured I'd use him since I haven't done so yet. Calem looked a bit nervous facing down such a powerful Pokémon, but readied a Pokéball.

"Go Frogadier!" he called out his Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It can throw bubble-covered pebbles with precise control, hitting empty cans up to a hundred feet away."**_

_Frogadier is a dark blue frog-like Pokémon with a light blue underside. Its eyes have yellow sclera, and it has a white bubble scarf. It has dark blue hands and toes, and white circular fingers. Frogadier is a nimble and swift Pokémon; it can scale a tower exceeding two thousand feet in one minute and it can throw bubble-coated pebbles at targets up to a hundred feet away. It can confound opponents by leaping about ceilings or into trees._

"This will be a one-on-one battle, begin!" Professor Sycamore called out, acting in as referee.

"Newbies go first!" I called out to Calem.

He glared at me.

"Frogadier, use Quick Attack!" he called out.

Frogadier bounded across the grass toward Garchomp.

"Block," I responded.

Garchomp then used his claws to block Frogadier's attack and the Water-type bounced off.

"Use Lick, Frogadier!" Calem called out.

Frogadier fired its tongue at Garchomp.

"Dodge it," I said.

Garchomp jumped up and Frogadier's tongue hit only the ground.

"End this with Draco Meteor," I ordered.

Garchomp fired the powerful ball of draconic energy up into the air and it exploded before hitting the glass dome, raining draconic meteorite-like balls of energy down onto Frogadier.

"Dodge it!" Calem called out frantically.

Frogadier bounded across the grassy field as the Draco Meteor rained down onto the ground. He couldn't dodge everything and was hit and knocked out.

"Frogadier is unable to battle, Nero and Garchomp win!" Professor Sycamore called out.

Serena, Spectra, N, and Shauna clapped in celebration for me.

Calem returned Frogadier to his Pokéball and seemed to fight back the embarrassment of being destroyed.

"Not gonna cry now are you?" I asked, approaching with Garchomp by my side.

He glared at me.

"You're a real jerk, you know? Picking on rookie Trainers like me!" Calem accused.

"You cannot be serious?" I asked, chuckling as I shook my head.

I gave him a steely glare.

"I went all-out against you for a reason, to show you up. You think you're such a hotshot and that that gives you the right to belittle other people, but you're wrong. You're not hotshot, you still got a lot to learn. And lesson number one, is humility. Be grateful in winning _and _in losing. Now thank me for battling with you, and then I _might _have some respect for you as a Trainer," I said to Calem.

He glared up at me and I knew my status as Champion was forcing him to want my respect.

"Thank you…," he muttered.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," I responded.

"Thank you," he said louder.

"Good, now apologize to Serena for belittling her so we can try having respect for you as a human being," I ordered Calem.

He looked at me incredulously, but the look on my face showed him I was not fucking around. He gritted his teeth and looked at Serena.

"I'm sorry," he said through his gritted teeth.

"Like you fucking mean it!" I snapped at Calem, causing him to flinch.

He sighed and looked at Serena with as much sincerity as he could muster up.

"I'm sorry Serena," he apologized.

Serena nodded and smiled.

"Good Calem, now here's a Sitrus Berry for Frogadier," I said, handing him the Berry.

He took it, but left the back area of Professor Sycamore's Lab without another word.

I shrugged it off and looked back at everyone else.

"I love being the Champion," I said, chuckling a bit.

I then winked over at Serena, causing her to smile.

"Damn Nero, you made him your bitch," Spectra said.

"Hey if you're going to be a dick to anybody, especially my friends, I will show you up. He's just lucky I didn't kick his ass," I responded.

"Well after a good battle like that, I think we all need some lunch," N said.

"Agreed," Professor Sycamore said.

We all helped them set up the tables and N and Professor Sycamore fixed up the lunch. Spectra and Shauna left to help with the food as well, leaving Serena and me at the table alone. All of our Pokémon were off in the distance eating and playing.

I then felt Serena move pretty close to me. Her left arm and left leg were against my right arm and leg. The funny thing is, I didn't really mind our close proximity.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

After lunch, Serena, Spectra, N, and I bid our farewells to Professor Sycamore and Shauna, who wanted to stay in Lumiose City a bit more. We then headed toward the gate that exited out to Versant Road. It was a rather hilly path, but I noticed a roller-skating park nearby.

"Want to try roller-skating again, Serena?" I asked her, nudging her side playfully.

"No," she responded, pushing me a little bit.

I chuckled and we continued to walk down Versant Road.

"Corphish, use Bubblebeam!" we all heard a Trainer call out.

We ran over and saw a rather pudgy Trainer with black hair and wearing a black shirt and cargo shorts battling a wild Scraggy.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Corphish, the Ruffian Pokémon. No matter how dirty the water in the river, it will adapt and thrive. It has a strong will to survive."**_

_Corphish is a red-shelled, crustacean Pokémon with a short tail similar to a lobster. Its eyes are saucer-like with small pupils, and it has three spikes on top of its head. Its upper legs, underside, and the lower half of its pincers are cream-colored. It possesses four pairs of limbs in total: two large pincers used for gripping prey, and three pairs of legs used for walking. The upper portion of its limbs, underside, and the lower half of its pincers are cream-colored. A hardy creature, Corphish is able to live in polluted water and eat nearly anything._

His Corphish fired a beam of bubbles from its claws, hitting the wild Scraggy. The Trainer then threw a Pokéball and caught the Scraggy.

"Alright! Good job, Corphish!" he shouted, dancing around his Pokémon.

His Corphish also celebrated by skittering side-to-side.

"Hey, good catch. Scraggy can be very strong Pokémon," I said as we approached the Trainer.

"Oh, I'm not into a Pokémon's strength. I'm into teaching them how to dance," the Trainer said.

"Dance?" I questioned.

"Yeah, watch. Corphish, do the Robot!" the Trainer ordered.

His Corphish then began moving around like a robot. We started laughing and applauded the whole display. Corphish and its Trainer bowed to the applause.

"My name is Tierno," the Trainer introduced himself.

"Nero Hishiro, these are my friends Serena, Spectra, and N," I introduced all of us.

"Nero Hishiro? You're the Unova Champion!" Tierno shouted, pointing at me.

"Yes, I am," I responded, chuckling.

"Hey Trevor! Nero Hishiro, the Unova Champion is here!" Tierno called out to an area of tall grass.

A short bespectacled Trainer then came out excitedly. He had short red hair and was wearing a sweater vest.

"Nero Hishiro? Wow!" the Trainer named Trevor said, looking at me.

"Yeah, let's have a battle!" Tierno suddenly said.

"Sure, I'm game," I responded.

"How about a Double Battle?" Trevor asked, stepping forward.

"Alright. Serena, want to join?" I asked her.

She looked surprised that I had picked her.

"Hey, maybe I wanted to battle!" Spectra responded annoyingly.

"Next time, Spectra," I responded.

Serena then walked forward, standing by my side and Trevor sent out his Pokémon.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Abra, the Psi Pokémon. It sleeps for eighteen hours a day. It uses a variety of extrasensory powers even while asleep."**_

_Abra is a bipedal Pokémon that is primarily yellow. Its face is kite-shaped, with a small, pale yellow snout and two short, pointed ears with pale yellow interiors. Its wide, narrow eyes are normally closed. Abra's body is segmented with black skin is visible between its joints and along its neck. It has two brown, pauldron-shaped extensions on its shoulders, as well as a brown, fauld-like piece around its chest. It has three fingers and toes, with its fingers considerably shorter than its toes. Its tail is thick and long, with a brown band located near the tip._

_Abra can sense danger by reading minds. When it does, it teleports itself to a safe location so quickly that it creates the illusion of having made copies of itself. By hypnotizing itself, Abra is able to teleport or use any of its other extrasensory abilities at any time. Due to the strain of its telepathic powers, however, Abra sleeps eighteen hours each day. If it fails to rest long enough, it will become unable to use its powers. Abra lives in urban areas, but has been observed to teleport to a different location once per hour._

"Alright, go Litleo!" I called out.

Serena looked at me and then sent out her Litleo.

"Begin!" N called out, acting in as referee.

"Litleo, use Ember!" Serena called out, surprising me by her sudden take-charge attitude in battling.

Her male Litleo jumped forward and fired small balls of fire at Corphish and Abra.

"Corphish, jump in front of Abra and use Protect!" Tierno called out.

Corphish then jumped in front of Abra and a protective energy barrier formed in front of the Water-type, blocking the incoming Ember.

"Abra, now use Hidden Power," Trevor ordered calmly.

Abra suddenly teleported in front of Corphish and fired a beam of white energy from its forehead, hitting Serena's Litleo. My Litleo ran over to see if her mate was okay. As soon as she determined Serena's Litleo was okay, she glared at Abra and Corphish.

"Litleo, use Flame Charge!" I called out.

Flames cloaked her and she charged forward, slamming into Abra.

"Corphish, use Crabhammer!" Tierno called out.

Corphish's claws glowed blue and it slammed them down onto Litleo, dealing a lot of damage to her.

"Litleo!" I called out.

Serena's Litleo then got to his feet and glared at Corphish. He bounded forward with electricity cackling from his fangs. He then used Thunder Fang on Corphish, dealing a lot of damage to the Water-type Pokémon.

"Whoa, I didn't know Litleo knew Thunder Fang," Serena said.

"He must've just learned it," I told her.

My Litleo got to her feet.

"Ember!" I called out.

She fired the small balls of fire onto Corphish, dealing some more damage.

"Abra, use Confusion!" Trevor called out.

Abra then telekinetically pushed Litleo back, but Serena's Litleo came to her aid and helped her keep her feet beneath her.

"Our Pokémon make a good team; guess that happens when they're boyfriend/girlfriend," Serena said.

"We make a good team too," I responded, not paying attention to the second half of Serena's statement.

She blushed.

"Come on, let's both of us use Flame Charge at the same time," I said.

Serena nodded and we pointed at our respective Litleo.

"Flame Charge!" we shouted in unison.

Our Litleo became engulfed in flames and they charged forward, slamming into Abra and Corphish, knocking them out simultaneously.

"Corphish and Abra are unable to battle, therefore, Nero and Serena are the winners!" N called out.

"We did it!" Serena exclaimed, hugging me.

I wrapped my arm around her waist, but moved away when I saw Spectra looking at us. I then pulled out a pair of Sitrus Berries, handing them to Tierno and Trevor.

"That was a good battle," I said.

"Yeah, thanks for battling us," Tierno said, feeding Corphish the Sitrus Berry.

Trevor nodded, feeding Abra the Berry as well.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The four of us then continued our way along Versant Road, leaving Tierno and Trevor to continue whatever it was they were doing before we met them.

Spectra moved up alongside me and gave me a look.

"You like Serena, don't you?" she asked me.

"Yeah, she's my friend," I said.

"No, you _like _her," Spectra prodded.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her.

"Oh come on, Nero. You stand up for her, you picked her to battle with you, and how you returned her hug after the battle. You're totally crushing on her, and I think she's crushing on you from how much she blushes around you," Spectra said to me quietly so Serena wouldn't overhear us.

"I don't care what you think, I'm not looking for another relationship right now since… you know," I responded, feeling a bit sad.

"Nero, Hilda would want you to move on. She wouldn't want you being a sullen sack of sadness," Spectra said to me, punching my arm.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Serena. I smirked and actually considered starting a relationship with her. I shook my head at the thought.

"No, we still have the Shadow Triad running around. I know they were behind Garchomp attacking Lumiose City. They're in Kalos and they probably want revenge for what happened at the Kalos League," I said.

"Alright, Nero the Hero, but don't hurt her if she tries advancing on you," Spectra said.

I nodded and we then came to the end of Versant Road, entering Camphrier Town. I was shocked to see an old medieval castle north of the town. It was surrounded by a moat and had a drawbridge and everything.

"Whoa…," I muttered.

"Yeah, that's Shabboneau Castle. You know, Professor Sycamore told me that there might be someone inside that knows a little something about Mega Evolution," Spectra said.

"Well then let's go see if we can go inside," I said.

We walked over to the castle and the drawbridge was lowered, so we walked across it and went inside the castle. A man greeted us at the entrance.

"Hello, my name is Pierre, I'm the owner of the castle," the man greeted us.

"Hello, my name is Nero Hishiro, and we're on a little expedition for Professor Sycamore asking if anyone known anything on Mega Evolution," I said.

"Mega Evolution, I cannot say I know anything about it, but I do recall the owner of Parfum Palace knows something about it," Pierre said.

"Thank you," I said, nodding.

We then left the castle, having no further reason to be there.

"So now what? Want to head to Parfum Palace?" I asked.

"Sure, it's to help Professor Sycamore," Spectra said.

We then left Camphrier Town and entered Rivière Walk. That Route forked off to another called Palais Lane, which had a sign indicating Parfum Palace was at the end of it. We walked down the lane, which was lined with trees separating it from tall grass that was as tall as I was.

We reached the palace, but a man stopped us at the gates.

"It's a thousand Pokédollar fee for each person to enter the palace," he said.

"A thousand Pokédollars? That's ridiculous," I growled angrily, but forked over the four thousand Pokédollars for us to enter.

The man then opened the gate and let us in.

"It really is nice to be friends with the rich Champion of Unova," Spectra said jokingly.

I glared at her and we walked into Parfum Palace. There was a man standing in the front room, pacing back and forth.

"Hello, are you the owner?" I asked the man.

"Yes, but don't bother me. Oh, where are you Furfrou?" the man asked himself.

"Furfrou?" I questioned.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Furfrou, the Poodle Pokémon. Trimming its fluffy fur not only makes it more elegant but also increases the swiftness of its movements."**_

_Furfrou is a dog-like Pokémon with thick, white fur that covers its black body apart from its paws and face. It has round eyes with red irises, a pointed snout with a round nose at the end and long rectangular ears. This Pokémon's furry coat cushions it against physical attacks. Furfrou is known to be loyal to its Trainer. It used to guard the king in the ancient times of Kalos. Like some real-world poodles, some domesticated Furfrou are commonly seen with their fur trimmed into various styles._

"Yes, have you seen him? Oh, I need my Furfrou," the owner of Parfum Palace said.

"If we find Furfrou, will you help us with something?" I asked.

"Yes, I think he lost somewhere in the gardens," the man said.

"Come on, let's go find his Furfrou," I said.

Serena, Spectra, and N nodded in agreement. The owner of Parfum Palace led us out into the courtyard which was connected to the palace by a bridge that extended over a moat. There were two statues on either side of the bridge of Reshiram and Zekrom. I stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked up at the statue of Reshiram. I felt a sudden twinge of sadness come over me as I remembered how my friend sacrificed his life to save me from going insane and dying. Serena stopped beside me and grabbed my hand. I looked at her.

"Hey, he made the choice to save you. Don't be sad over it, honor him by living the life he gave you a chance to have to the fullest," Serena told me.

I nodded and she led me across the bridge, not releasing my hand. Maybe Spectra was right. We got across the bridge and I saw the palace gardens were enormous, with four expansive mazes within it.

"Charizard, Honchkrow, Mandibuzz, Metagross, Musharna, and Flabébé, I need your help," I said, sending the Pokémon I had that were capable of flying out of my PokéBrace.

"There's a Furfrou somewhere out here, I need your help to find him," I said.

My Pokémon nodded and flew off in search of Furfrou. A few minutes later, Charizard came back.

"_I found him_," he said to me.

"Show us!" I called out.

Charizard led us to a maze in the northwest corner of the garden.

"_He's in the middle of the maze_," Charizard said.

"Thanks, go get the others and have them meet us back here," I said.

Charizard nodded and flew off. We then went into the maze.

"Hey, Furfrou is probably going to run since he doesn't know us. We need to surround him from all ways," I said.

"Or we can just attack him," Spectra suggested.

Serena, N, and I looked at her incredulously.

"Or not," she responded.

We then all moved through the maze and got to the center. Furfrou was there, but didn't see us.

"Go and cover the three other exits," I said.

Serena, Spectra, and N moved across the edge of the center of the maze and covered the three other exits.

I then ran forward, alerting Furfrou to my presence. He tried to run left, but Spectra stopped him. We all then enclosed on him and caught the Normal-type Pokémon.

We returned to Parfum Palace with Furfrou as the sun began to set.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" the owner exclaimed, hugging his beloved Furfrou.

"It was no problem," I said.

"Now what is it you wanted to know?" he asked.

"Do you know anything about Mega Evolution?" I asked.

"Only that the Gym Leader in Shalour City knows about it," the owner said.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, but to show you my thanks for finding my Furfrou. There'll be a fireworks show for you all that you can watch from the balcony upstairs," the owner said.

"Thank you," I said, feeling a bit better that we were at least getting something for all our trouble.

An hour later the sun had set and the four of us stood on the balcony of Parfum Palace. Fireworks then shot off into the sky and they put on a beautiful and romantic display. Spectra and N must've thought the same thing because they started kissing, causing Serena and I to move away to give them some privacy.

"You know, this is the first time I've ever seen fireworks alone with a boy before," Serena pointed out, not taking her eyes off the firework display.

I looked at her, a bit taken back by the revelation, but then thought about what Spectra said to me earlier today. Maybe I should move on. Hilda _would _have wanted me to move on. I then thought of what Serena told me before. Reshiram gave his life so I could live mine, so I could live life to the fullest. I decided then that I shouldn't live life as a sullen sack of sadness. I should be happy. And Serena made me happy. I then made my move.

I wrapped my arm around Serena's waist and pulled her close to me. She looked up at me in surprise as more fireworks went off, illuminating our supplies in fiery light. I then kissed Serena on the lips. I could tell she was shocked by me kissing her, and I thought I made a mistake kissing her at first, but before I could pull out of the kiss, Serena started kissing me back. She wrapped her arms around the back of my neck and I moved my other hand through her honey-colored hair, accidentally knocking her hat off. It landed on the balcony, but we didn't care. We kept kissing.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The owner of Parfum Palace allowed us to stay the night inside, so we each picked a guest room.

The next morning, we left Parfum Palace and continued our way to Cyllage City for the next Gym along Rivière Walk.

Spectra walked alongside Serena and me and smiled at us.

"So you two are now a thing?" she asked.

"Oh, um… are we?" I responded, looking at Serena for confirmation.

"I guess we are," Serena said, enveloping her hand over mine.

I smiled and nodded at Spectra.

"Glad you're happy, Nero," she said, smiling back at me as she walked back over to N.

We kept walking along Rivière Walk until we came up to a large castle floating on top of the river that ran parallel to the Route.

"This is the Battle Chateau, I heard from someone in Camphrier Town that there was a battle tournament in it," Serena said.

"Sounds like fun, want to join?" I asked the others.

"I don't have any Pokémon, so I'll watch," N said.

"What about that Sigilyph you used back at the Athletic Cup?" I asked.

"I let him go after I was freed from Team Plasma's control," N said, looking a bit ashamed.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll watch with you," Spectra said, taking her boyfriend's hand.

"So, I guess you and me will battle then," I said to Serena.

She looked at me and nodded, smiling. We walked inside the Battle Chateau and signed up. We were only allowed to use one Pokémon, however, and I chose Chespin while Serena chose her Fennekin. The Battle Chateau Tournament had thirty-two contestants and was divided into two days, so we had to book a room inside the Chateau.

Much to my chagrin, I saw that Calem was a contestant in the tournament. He didn't say anything to Serena or me, instead he just walked away.

That night, I was sitting up in bed, looking at a picture of Hilda. My PokéBrace lay on a nightstand beside my bed. Suddenly a knock came at my door and I put my picture of Hilda back into my pack.

I stood to my feet and opened the door, revealing Serena to be the one that knocked.

"Oh, did I wake you?" she asked, looking guilty.

"No, I wasn't asleep," I told her, smiling.

I took a moment to see that she was wearing a white t-shirt and white and pink checkered pajama shorts.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I just can't sleep, so I decided to…," Serena said before pausing to think why exactly she came over to my room.

"Come by, hoping I couldn't sleep either?" I asked, chuckling a bit.

Serena blushed and nodded. I chuckled some more and opened my door some more, inviting her in. Serena walked inside and looked around my room.

"Come on, let's go out onto the balcony. It has a nice view of the river," I said, walking over to the glass doors in the back of my room.

Serena followed me out onto the balcony and I was right about the view. It was a full moon and the moon illuminated the river below us beautifully. Serena hugged my arm and rested the side of her head against my shoulder. I smiled at her and we stared at the river together.

"Nero… can I tell you something?" Serena asked me.

"Go ahead," I responded, turning my body so I could look at her fully.

She looked down at the ground and seemed to be contemplating what to say.

"Serena, I'm here for you. If you have something to tell me, don't be afraid to do so," I said.

Serena smiled and nodded, but then frowned.

"Want to know why I knew you needed a friend to help you through losing someone you cared about?" she asked me.

"You lost someone too," I said, already knowing.

Serena nodded and some tears came to her eyes.

"Yeah… it was my Dad," she revealed.

"I'm sorry," I said, moving forward to gently wipe the tears from her face.

"It's okay. He had cancer, it took him quick and he wasn't in any pain when he went," Serena said.

"How old were you?" I asked her.

"Ten," she said.

"That's how old I was when my father left," I said.

"He left?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, my Mom, little sister, and I haven't seen him since," I said, looking out at the moon.

"Nero, I'm sorry," Serena apologized.

"Don't. I'm past all that," I said, waving it off.

Serena nodded and stood there next to me. I then looked at her. She looked at me and blushed. I reached over and moved some of her honey locks back behind her ear and caressed the side of her face.

Suddenly a Pokémon jumping out of the river caught our attention.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokémon. It lives in warm seas. It is said that a couple finding this Pokémon will be blessed with eternal love."**_

_Luvdisc is a fish-like Pokémon with a relatively flat body in the shape of a heart. Loving couples gave this Pokémon its name after spotting it in the ocean waters. It is primarily light pink, with pale lips and circular markings on its cheeks. During the spring, it forms groups that turn the ocean's surface bright pink_

We watched the Luvdisc disappear beneath the water's surface and then looked back at each other.

"You know the legend behind Luvdisc right?" Serena asked me.

"No," I responded, shaking my head.

"Well any couple that sees one is promised eternal love," Serena said, blushing.

I smiled at her.

"It's just a legend though," she said.

I moved closer to her, resting my hand on the small of her back. I smiled, looking down at her stormy gray eyes.

"Doesn't mean it isn't true," I said, kissing her.

I pulled away about an inch and smiled. Serena smiled back, wrapping her arms around my neck. I moved my other hand beneath her arm and rested it against her upper back between her shoulders.

"I've seen enough legends to know that they can be true," I whispered.

Serena smiled and we kissed once more as the same Luvdisc jumped out of the river below. We pulled each other into a tighter embrace, smiling into the kiss.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The next morning, I awoke to Serena's sleeping face looking right at me. We didn't have sex. I figured that out when I saw neither of us were naked. We just fell asleep together.

I looked at her sleeping face and kissed her on the forehead to wake her up.

"Good morning," I greeted her.

"Good morning," she responded, smiling.

She then realized she had been asleep in bed with me and immediately looked beneath the blanket we shared to see if we were clothed.

"Don't worry, we didn't have sex. I remember carrying you into my room after you fell asleep on the balcony. I slept next to you, because I don't sleep on floors," I said, chuckling in amusement.

Serena smiled at me.

"Thank you," she said.

"For?" I asked.

"Not doing something that would cause me to have to hurt you," Serena said.

"I'm not a pig like some guys and you couldn't hurt me even if you tried," I responded.

Serena pouted and tried punching me beneath the covers, but it didn't hurt.

"Sweetheart, I've been in so many kinds of fights and gotten the shit kicked out of me multiple times. You're gonna have to shoot me to hurt me," I said.

"Why not just stab you?" Serena asked.

I chuckled in response and stood up out of bed. I then took off my shirt to reveal the long scar that went across my back from my shoulder to hip.

"Oh my God…," Serena gasped, getting out of my bed.

I turned around and looked at her.

"Yeah, it hurt like hell," I said, putting my shirt back on.

"I bet, what happened?" Serena asked.

"I was slashed by a sword," I said.

"Ouch…," Serena responded.

"Yep," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

Serena smiled at me and walked over.

"Nero, promise me something?" she asked me.

"Sure," I said.

"The next time you take your shirt off in front of me, can it be to show me your gorgeous body and not the scar on your back?" she asked, looking up at me as innocently as possible.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," I responded, chuckling.

_(Page Break)_

All thirty-two Trainers competing in the Battle Chateau Tournament were sitting on chairs in a lobby, looking up at a monitor that was going to show us who we were going to be battling.

I looked at Serena and put my hand on her knee, managing to get a smile out of her for that.

The first battles were up on the board and the first round of the Battle Chateau Tournament went under way.

The battlefield for the tournament was floating on the river behind the Battle Chateau.

"The battle will be between Nero Hishiro and Heath Miller! Each Trainer will use one Pokémon each and the winner will be declared after a Pokémon on either side cannot continue battling!" a referee announced.

"Come on Chespin!" I called out my Pokémon.

"Let's show them what we go, Diggersby!" Heath shouted, sending his Pokémon out.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Diggersby, the Digging Pokémon. With their powerful ears, they can heft boulders of a ton or more with ease. They can be a big help at construction sites."**_

_Diggersby is a bipedal Pokémon resembling a large, portly rabbit._

_Diggersby's most remarkable features are its two ears, which are each crowned with a massive, muscular forearm, complete with three-fingered paws. The ears are furry and mostly grey in coloration, with a pink inner pinna, whereas the paws at the ends of the ears are brown. Three spots of brown fur surround each of the ear-wrists. A pointed protrusion marks the outer elbow, hinting at the presence of bones inside the ear-forearms. These ears are strong enough to lift objects weighing over a ton and prove to be an invaluable asset in Diggersby's digging._

_The other four limbs growing from Diggersby's round, grey torso are small in comparison to the ears. The fur of the upper paws is white, while the feet are brown. A sash-like structure composed of thicker, wooly fur surrounds Diggersby's waist. This sash is brown with a squared yellow segment on the front. Diggersby likes to keep its upper paws tucked into this sash._

_Diggersby's face is dominated by a large brown muzzle, resembling stubble on a human male. Two large front teeth protrude from its wide mouth and three whiskers decorate each cheek. Diggersby's eyes are perpetually squinting and it seems to favor a slightly furrowed brow._

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Chespin, use Pin Missile!" I called out.

The spines on Chespin's head and back glowed white and then fired missile-like beams of energy at Diggersby.

"Block it with your ears!" Heath called out.

Diggersby blocked the Pin Missile with its massive ears.

"Now use Double Slap!" Heath called out.

Diggersby swung its ears like arms, slapping Chespin around.

"Curl up and use your spines!" I called out.

Chespin immediately curled up into a ball and Diggersby swatted him across the battlefield. Chespin luckily managed to stop himself from going in the water. Diggersby waved his ear in pain, having hit one of Chespin's spines.

"Now use Tackle!" I called out.

Chespin launched himself forward and hit Diggersby in the gut.

"Now finish it with Seed Bomb!" I called out.

Chespin threw three seed-like balls of energy at Diggersby. They exploded and knocked the Normal/Ground-type Pokémon out.

"Diggersby is unable to battle, the winner is Nero!" the referee called out.

Chespin jumped up, punching the air in excitement, and I picked the small Grass-type Pokémon up off the ground.

A couple of matches later, Serena went up onto the battlefield to face her opponent.

"Go Fennekin!" she called out.

"Go Honedge!" her opponent called out.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Honedge, the Sword Pokémon. Apparently this Pokémon is born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword. It attaches itself to people and drinks their life force."**_

_Honedge is a Pokémon that resembles a sword from the medieval times. Honedge's appearance sheathed is dark brown with curved lines across its surface. Its appearance unsheathed is a silver sword, with a gem that looks like an eye engraved on its hilt. Attached to the pommel is a long, dark blue cloth with a swirl design in lighter blue at its four-split end. The sash is known to suck out the life energy of anyone around whose arm it wraps._

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Fennekin, use Scratch!" Serena called out.

I rested my forehead in the palm of my hand at her poor move choice.

Fennekin went right through Honedge.

"Normal-type attacks have no effect on Ghost-types like Honedge!" Serena's opponent said.

"Oh…," Serena responded, blushing from the embarrassment.

"Now use Shadow Sneak, Honedge!" Serena's opponent called out.

Honedge sank into the ground until only its blade was visible and then shot off toward Fennekin, hitting her.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried out for her Pokémon.

The Fire-type got back to her feet and glared at the Steel/Ghost-type Pokémon. Fennekin then began glowing. She was evolving!

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Braixen, the Fox Pokémon. It has a twig stuck in its tail. With friction from its tail fur, it sets the twig on fire and launches into battle."**_

_Braixen is a bipedal, fox-like Pokémon. While the majority of its fur is yellow, it has black legs, white arms, face and neck, and a dark orange tail tip. The fur on its cheeks is longer, and a small mane of white fur covers its shoulders and chest. Long, wavy tufts of dark orange fur grow out of its large ears, and its eyes and small nose match this fur in color. Above its legs, the fur sweeps out to either side. Braixen always keeps a stick in its tail, which it sets alight using its bushy tail fur. The flame from the lit twig is used for both attack and communication._

"Whoa… you've evolved," Serena said in admiration of her newly evolved Pokémon.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Honedge, use Shadow Claw!" Serena's opponent called out.

Honedge became engulfed in shadowy energy and slashed in the direction of Braixen.

"Dodge it!" Serena called out quickly.

Braixen sidestepped the attack and smiled confidently.

"Now use Ember!" Serena ordered.

Braixen pulled the stick out of her tail and twirled it like a magic wand, sending the small balls of fire toward Honedge, hitting it, and knocking it out.

"Honedge is unable to battle, the winner is Serena!" the referee called out.

Serena let out a sigh of relief and ran over to hug Braixen.

The next battle had Calem against a blonde girl named Tanya.

"Go Pidgeotto," Calem sent out his Pokémon.

"Go Pansear!" Tanya sent out her Pokémon.

"_**Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon. The claws on its feet are well developed. It can carry prey such as an Exeggcute to its nest over sixty miles away."**_

_Pidgeotto is a large, brown raptor-like avian Pokémon. It is covered with brown feathers, and has a cream-colored face and underside. It has a crest of pink feathers on its head and black streaks behind its eyes. The plumage of its tail alternates between red and yellow. It has powerful, pinkish-gray talons, which it uses to grasp prey._

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Pansear, use Fire Punch!" Tanya called out.

"Knock it back with Gust," Calem ordered.

Pansear ran forward with its fist cloaked in flames, but Pidgeotto began flapping its wings, sending a powerful gust into Pansear, blowing it back near the edge of the arena.

I stepped out near the battlefield and watched the battle.

"End it with Twister," Calem said.

Pidgeotto flapped its wings and a powerful swirling tornado of draconic energy sucked Pansear in before throwing it into the river.

"Pansear!" Tanya cried out to her Fire-type Pokémon.

I reacted fast and dove into the river after the drowning Fire-type Pokémon. I found it struggling in the water and grabbed Pansear. I swam one-handed up to the surface and placed Pansear on the battlefield as Tanya and a Nurse Joy ran over. Pansear coughed but gave a thumb's up to its Trainer.

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" Tanya cried out as I pulled myself onto the battlefield.

"No problem," I responded as water dripped off my body.

Calem then walked over with Pidgeotto flying over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Tanya, I didn't mean to knock Pansear into the river," Calem apologized sincerely.

"It's no problem, but does it mean I lose?" Tanya asked the referee.

"I'm afraid so, ma'am," he responded, announcing that Calem is the winner.

I watched Tanya follow Nurse Joy, carrying her Pansear and then left. The first round of the Battle Chateau Tournament concluded and Serena confronted me in my room about the events that the day had brought us.

"I can't believe you jumped into the river to save that girl's Pokémon," Serena told me, snuggling up against my shoulder.

"What was I supposed to do, let Pansear drown?" I asked Serena.

"No, I suppose not, just now I get it when Spectra says you have a hero's complex," Serena said.

"She's saying I have a complex? She walks around barefoot and steals things," I pointed out.

"Then why are you friends with her?" Serena asked me.

"I fed her and she kept following me," I said jokingly.

"No seriously," Serena responded.

"I don't know. When we first met, she knocked me out and stole my motorcycle. I guess it's just we saved each other's lives several times, so we just kind of got used to each other. Then when N became possessed by Team Plasma, I helped her through it. We were just there for each other during some tough times. She even came to Kalos with me to make sure I was doing okay. Hell, I might have killed myself if it wasn't for her. She's one of my best friends," I went on.

Serena looked at me and smiled.

"Well I think it's sweet," she said.

"Yeah? I think it's weird," I responded.

Serena laughed and smiled at me.

"You should get to your room now and get some sleep," I said.

"Aw, but I wanna stay longer," Serena complained.

"No, I don't think it's appropriate that you be staying the night in my room all the time. We just started dating, let's give it some time first," I said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Fine," Serena grumbled, getting to her feet.

She walked toward my door before looking back at me.

"Good night, Nero," she said to me.

"Good night, Serena," I responded.

She then left my room and closed the door behind her.

_(Page Break)_

The next morning, the sixteen remaining Trainers all began their battles. Calem, Serena, and I all made it past this round and then there were eight of us left. Serena was shocked at what one of the matches in the third round ended up being. It was her against Calem and I could tell she was nervous about the battle.

I pulled her aside from everyone else and put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. Just try your best and remember to be happy whether you win or lose," I told her, kissing her quickly.

Serena smiled at my quick words of wisdom and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Nero," she said, walking out of the waiting room and onto the battlefield where Calem was waiting for her.

"Ready for a rematch, girl?" Calem asked her with a little bit of arrogance in his tone.

"The name's Serena and I'm ready to win," Serena said, sending Braixen out.

The Fire-type stood and glared at Calem, feeling the same animosity toward him that her Trainer felt. Calem sent Pidgeotto out and the battle went under way.

"Braixen, use Ember!" Serena called out.

Braixen waved her wand, firing the small balls of fire from the tip of it at Pidgeotto.

"Dodge them and use Peck!" Calem responded.

Pidgeotto spun out of the way of the incoming Ember and then tucked its wings in, diving down into Braixen, knocking her back a bit.

"Hold on, Braixen, and use Flame Charge!" Serena called out.

Braixen dug her heels into the battlefield and held on before summoning a swirl of fire around her and charging into Pidgeotto, knocking the Normal/Flying-type Pokémon to the ground. Braixen then aimed her wand at the downed Pokémon and fired a beam of purple energy at it. Braixen had just learned Psybeam!

"Whoa, that was Psybeam!" Serena pointed out.

Pidgeotto got back to its feet, but was dazed from the blows it had taken.

"Pidgeotto, get back in the air and use Gust!" Calem ordered.

Pidgeotto tried fighting through its confusion, but only ended up smacking itself in the face with its wings.

"Quit hitting yourself, quit hitting yourself," Serena teased, sticking her tongue out at Calem.

She then looked at Braixen and smiled.

"Finish this with Psybeam!" she called out.

Braixen fired one last purple beam, hitting Pidgeotto, and knocking it out.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle, Serena is the winner!" the referee announced.

Serena jumped up in the air, finally satisfied that she had beat Calem.

"I did it!" she exclaimed.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Chespin, use Vine Whip!" I called out.

My Grass-type Pokémon lashed out at our opponent's Pokémon with twin vines that extended out from his collar.

"Fletchinder, knock Chespin back with Wing Attack," my opponent, Raphael ordered.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon. From its beak, it expels embers that set the tall grass on fire. Then it pounces on the bewildered prey that pops out of the grass."**_

_Fletchinder is an avian Pokémon with predominantly orange and black plumage. It has a sharp, black beak and a small, pointed crest atop its head. Its black eyes have yellow, mask-like marks extending from the back. It upper side is reddish-orange and its belly is gray, with a flame pattern marking the boundary on the breast. Its pointed wings are black with yellow tips and undersides. Its legs are also black, with sharp talons with two toes forward and one back. Its long black tail feathers are marked with two white "v"-shapes. The tail ends in two points and has another feather sticking out of the base on each side, giving the impression of the fletching on the end of an arrow._

_Fletchinder has a flame sac in its belly. As its internal fire gradually heats up, it can fly at increasingly faster speeds. Fletchinder is known to hunt by igniting tall grass and swooping down on prey that attempt to escape the blaze._

Fletchinder's wings glowed white and it flew into the Vine Whip, hitting Chespin back across the battlefield. I gritted my teeth as Fletchinder circled around the battlefield to return back to its Trainer.

"Chespin, come on you can do it, buddy. Get up!" I called out to the Grass-type.

Suddenly he began glowing and the Pokédex screen on my PokéBrace lit up.

_(Pokédex)_

"_**Quilladin, the Spiny Armor Pokémon. It relies on its sturdy shell to deflect predators' attacks. It counterattacks with its sharp quills."**_

_Quilladin is a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon with some plant-like features. It is largely covered in an armor-like shell similar to that of a chestnut. The armor is green in coloration with two large spines jutting out like ears. These spines and its pointed tail have red tips, and there are banded segments on the back of the shell. The lower half of the body is brown, and it has a three-pointed patch of fur decorating the front. Quilladin's stubby limbs are brown, but the top surfaces of the arms are protected by green, banded armor. It has three white, clawed digits on its hands and two on its feet. The face is exposed and unarmored, being light brown in color. It has a small, pink nose and a pointed snout, with a three-pointed patch of brown fur extending out like hair. Brown triangles mark its cheeks. Quilladin also has wide eyes, buck teeth, and usually wears a cheerful expression._

_Quilladin is very kind, and avoids confrontation with others, although it is known to exercise its lower body by running into other Quilladin. When it is forced to defend itself, it relies on its shell to deflect attacks, before counterattacking with its sharp quills._

"Awesome, you've evolved!" I called out to my newly-evolved Quilladin.

"_Yup, and let's roll_!" Quilladin called out, rolling into a ball.

He bounced across the battlefield and collided into Fletchinder, dealing massive amounts of damage.

"Rollout… a Rock-type move; Fletchinder is in trouble," I said to myself.

Quilladin unraveled and looked confidently at Fletchinder.

"Use Pin Missile!" I called out.

His spikes glowed white and Quilladin fired the missile-like energy projectiles at Fletchinder.

"Dodge them and use Aerial Ace!" Raphael responded.

Fletchinder gained a white aura of energy and he flew around the Pin Missile skillfully.

"Rollout!" I called out.

Quilladin rolled up and shot off into Fletchinder, knocking the Fire/Flying-type Pokémon out.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle, Nero is the winner!" the referee announced.

"Alright, we did it!" I called out.

Quilladin was rolling straight for me.

"Uh oh," I muttered under my breath before Quilladin launched upwards and hit me in my midsection, knocking me down onto the battlefield.

_(Page Break)_

Soon enough, Serena and I were the only Trainers left standing. We looked at each other across the battlefield, smiled, and nodded at one another.

"This is the final round of the Battle Chateau Tournament between Serena Grace of Vaniville Town and the Unova Champion, Nero Hishiro of Nuvema Town!" the referee called out.

Serena and I then sent out Braixen and Quilladin respectfully.

"Begin!" the referee called out.

"Ember, Braixen!" Serena called out.

"Quilladin, use Pin Missile in response!" I called out.

Braixen drew her wand and fired a small ball of fire at Quilladin who responded by firing the energy projectiles from his back. Both attacks met halfway to their target and the collision resulted in an explosion.

"Use Rollout!" I called out.

Quilladin shot through the smoke of the explosion and slammed into Braixen, knocking her down as well as knocking her wand away from her. Braixen's eyes suddenly widened as soon as she realized she had lost her wand. She looked around frantically and saw her wand lying nearby. She scrambled to retrieve her wand and sighed in relief once obtaining it.

"Braixen, are you okay?" Serena asked her.

The Fire-type turned around and nodded.

"Use Rollout again!" I called out.

Serena's and Braixen's attention snapped back into the battle, but it was too late and Braixen was hit with an even stronger Rollout this time, knocking her out.

"Braixen is unable to battle, Nero is the winner!" the referee called out.

The audience erupted into applause for my win and I patted Quilladin on his head.

"Good job, big guy. Rest up," I said, returning him to his Pokéball.

I then turned my attention to Serena who returned Braixen back to her Pokéball. She smiled slightly and I could tell she was a bit disheartened by the quick loss. I walked over to her and smiled, putting both hands on her shoulders.

"You did great, Serena. Both you and Braixen battled incredibly well," I said.

"But we lost," Serena responded, pouting a bit.

"We can't win them all, sweetheart, but we can learn from our losses," I said to her.

Serena looked up at me with her stormy gray eyes and nodded in agreement.

"Atta girl," I said, kissing her forehead.

She smiled and giggled, blushing slightly, and then we turned to the referee and another man.

"Hello, my name is Duke Turner, I am the owner of the Battle Chateau and organizer of this tournament," the unknown man introduced himself.

Serena and I said our hellos.

"I'm here to give you two your prizes. For first place, Mr. Nero Hishiro wins a hundred thousand Pokédollars as well as this," Duke Turner said.

The referee then handed over a mobile incubator with a Pokémon Egg inside.

"Whoa, what's in it?" I asked, holding the incubator.

The Egg inside was cream colored with green splotches.

"That's the mystery now isn't it? Take care of it and it will hatch soon enough," Duke Turner said to me.

Then he turned toward Serena.

"For coming in second place, Ms. Serena Grace wins fifty thousand Pokédollars," Duke Turner said.

"Ooh, I'm going shopping!" Serena said, accepting the money.

_(Page Break)_

Serena and I then met up with Spectra and N outside of the Battle Chateau. The four of us looked into the incubator at my newly acquired egg.

"What do you think it is?" Serena asked.

"None of us will know until it hatches. Only time will tell," N responded.

"He's right, but I don't really care what kind of Pokémon it is. I know it's just gonna be another friend and ally for all of us," I said, looking toward the mountains that loom in the distance.

I then held the incubator beneath my arm and wrapped my other arm around Serena's slender waist. She smiled and looked over at Spectra who just stuck her tongue out at her playfully as N wrapped his arm around her waist.

"LET'S GO!" I shouted, leading the four of us toward the next leg of our journeys.


End file.
